Committee hearing on Russian law in parliament begins amid protests

A committee discussion of a Russian law has begun in parliament. The rally is taking place outside the legislative body. Civic activists, journalists, representatives of the third sector are protesting against the Russian law and saying - "No to the Russian law!".

Restrictions were in place in parliament until the beginning of the session. Representatives of the special state security service were mobilised outside the committee room and only persons with special permits were allowed to attend the meeting.

The Russian bill was initiated by People's Power . According to the initiative, any media or non-governmental organisation that receives more than 20 per cent of its funds from abroad must be registered as " agent of foreign influence". The so-called split offs known for their anti-American and anti-Western rhetoric, argue that the law ensures transparency. After criticism, the split offs have gone on record as saying they will also initiate the second draft of the "Foreign Agents Registration Act", which they claim is the exact equivalent of the US version. "Georgian Dream intends to support the bill.

The initiative has drawn sharp criticism from Georgia's international partners, both in the United States and the European Union. Partners explicitly say it threatens the country's Euro-Atlantic future.