The UN Human Rights Commissioner called on the Georgian government to withdraw the controversial bill.
in Georgia tens of thousands of people have also taken to the streets on Thursday to demonstrate against the disputed bill.
The protests continued to be massive, even though the police used force to suppress them.
“No to Russia,” the crowd shouted in the capital Tbilisi, according to news agency AFP.
The opposed bill has been compared to a similar law in force in Russia, which silences dissenters.
Foreign minister Elina Valtonen According to (kok), the clashes at the protests in Georgia are worrying. Valtonen wrote the message service on Thursday in X, that violence against peaceful demonstrators is not acceptable. According to him, Georgians have the right to protest against the bill on foreign influence.
Later on Thursday, also the UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk urged the Georgian government to withdraw the controversial bill. Türk also said he was concerned about the violence used by the police against the protesters.
Police on Wednesday used water cannons and tear gas to quell demonstrators protesting against the law in Tbilisi. The law passed Parliament’s second reading earlier in the day.
Protesters waved Georgian and EU flags and sang the EU anthem Ode to joy.
According to the law under discussion, media and non-governmental organizations that receive more than a fifth of their funding from outside Georgia must register as promoters of foreign interests. According to opponents, the law is practically copied from Russia’s law on foreign agents.
Valtonen reminds that Georgia has received the status of a candidate for membership from the EU.
“We expect Georgia to stay on this path, which the people support,” Valtonen said.
Also the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen on described That Georgia is now at a crossroads, from where it should continue in the direction leading to Europe.