Georgia — a former Soviet state caught between historic ties to Russia and a future that may lie closer to the West — has seen protests erupt over a bill that fueled fears of Russian influence and parallels to Ukraine. Here's what we know:
The massive and energetic protests in Tbilisi last week began after the ruling Georgian Dream party introduced a bill on foreign influence that passed its first of two readings on the parliament floor.
Critics called the proposal a “Russian law” and warned it could be used to curtail media freedoms and stifle dissent. After it was introduced and voted on swiftly by Georgian Dream, which holds a sizable majority in Parliament, tens of thousands of protesters swarmed the capital and rallied outside the parliament building for several days, undeterred even after they were met with tear gas and water cannons.With the protests showing little sign of abating, lawmakers in the Black Sea nation of 3.7 million began to back away from the bill Wednesday evening and a discussion about the proposal was canceled Thursday.
“The war in Ukraine has made this even clearer,” Ana Tsitlidze, a Georgian opposition MP, said in an interview. “With this law, the government is trying to do the same thing that Putin did in Russia: kill free speech and nongovernmental organizations.”Zurab Tsertsvadze / AP , which had fought a separatist war with Tbilisi in the 1990s. Moscow responded with a massive invasion and regained control of South Ossetia, while also seizing another breakaway Georgian province, Abkhazia, and it continues to support separatist movements in both the regions, although they are internationally recognized as Georgian territory.
There were visual similarities, such as protesters carrying E.U. flags, and Ukrainian flags and many of those who took to the streets in Georgia were young, born after the fall of the Soviet Union. Authorities also responded in a similar manner, with tear gas and water cannons.Zura Tsertsvadze / AFP - Getty Images
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