The UN Human Rights Commissioner has urged the Georgian government to withdraw a controversial bill that sparked mass protests in the country, despite police using force to suppress the demonstrations. Tens of thousands of people in Georgia took to the streets on Thursday to voice their opposition to the disputed bill, which has been compared to a similar law in Russia that silences dissenters. The crowds in the capital, Tbilisi, chanted “No to Russia,” as they demonstrated against the bill.
Foreign minister Elina Valtonen expressed concern over the clashes at the protests and emphasized that violence against peaceful demonstrators is not acceptable. Valtonen also emphasized that Georgians have the right to protest against foreign influence. Meanwhile, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk also urged Georgia to withdraw the controversial bill and expressed concern over police violence against protesters.
The disputed law requires media and non-governmental organizations that receive more than one-fifth of their funding from outside Georgia to register as promoters of foreign interests. Critics argue that the law is essentially copied from Russia’s law on foreign agents. Despite this,
