According to the communication, the protesters decided to disperse after the last special forces units left the area adjacent to the Legislature, although some remained in front of the building until the barricades were removed.
Police patrols are still present only on Rustaveli Avenue near the main entrance to Parliament, while municipal services employees have already begun cleaning the area.
Representatives of non-governmental organizations and political parties organized a protest that began on Sunday night in Tbilisi against the foreign agents law. Several thousand protesters gathered at First Republic Square and marched towards Parliament.
Subsequently, clashes occurred with the Police in front of the legislature when the protesters demanded to be allowed to pass to the platform prepared for supporters of the ruling “Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia” party, which has a rally planned for this Monday.
The Georgian Parliament approved the draft law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” in first reading in a plenary session on April 17, against which President Salome Zurabishvili, the opposition and Western diplomats spoke out.
These forces consider that the law is an obstacle to the integration of the republic into the European Union.
Since April 15, opposition and civil activists in Tbilisi have been protesting against the bill.
The ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party announced in early April the decision to reintroduce the bill “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” for consideration in Parliament. This occurred a year after a similar initiative sparked massive protests, forcing authorities to abandon adoption of the bill.
The text of the bill remained the same as last year, except for the term “agent of foreign influence”, as the concept of “organization that carries out the interests of a foreign force” was used instead.
jf/gfa
