Why has Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ bill caused so much protest and anger?

Georgian law enforcement officers deployed against protesters rallying against the ‘foreign agents’ bill in Tbilisi on 14 May. Photograph: Vano Shlamov/AFP/Getty Images

Georgia’s controversial “foreign agents” bill was approved this week by the country’s parliament, despite massive street protests and criticism from western governments.

A violent crackdown on protesters and government critics has elicited widespread condemnation inside and outside the country.