Tens of thousands of protesters in the former Soviet republic of Georgia are fighting a controversial law set to be passed by the country's parliament this week.Supporters say the law is about transparency and preventing outside influence on Georgian politics, while opponents say the bill is modeled on a Russian law that has been used to clamp down on dissent.
She said Russia remains Georgia's"No. 1 threat" given the Kremlin has occupied parts of Georgian territory since a brief war in 2008.The current protests began in mid-April, shortly after Georgia's parliament passed its first reading of the bill. Since then, protesters — including a large swath of people from Generation Z — have been gathering at nightly marches toward the parliament.
"We are in the crossroads right now," said Giorgi Gzirishvili, a 29-year-old IT specialist who has been protesting since April."We either have to ensure our future by becoming a member of NATO and European Union, or we'll not exist in 10-15 years."While initially attracting younger crowds, the largely peaceful protests have galvanized Georgians of all ages in more recent days.
Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili — a fierce critic of the bill — has said she would veto it, but the ruling GD party has enough control in parliament to override her.