Georgia is about to approve a controversial law that tightens controls on organisations receiving foreign funds. Critics say it could undermine democracy and derail the country’s chances of joining the European Union.
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00:00 Georgia is about to approve a controversial law that tightens controls on organizations
00:07 receiving foreign funds. The bill will go to Parliament on Tuesday after the green light
00:12 received today by the Legal Affairs Committee. It says that any company getting at least
00:18 20 percent of its funding from abroad will be registered as pursuing the interests of
00:23 a foreign power. Protesters have been gathering outside Parliament in Tbilisi since Sunday
00:28 evening to prevent lawmakers from entering. Demonstrations are set to continue throughout
00:34 the day after weeks of widespread rallies and arrests. The opposition is afraid this
00:41 law will end up restricting media freedom and stigmatize government critics. Many also
00:46 see it as a step back from Georgia's EU membership ambitions. The government said the bill will
00:54 extend what it deems as harmless foreign influence over the country's political scene.
01:01 (speaking in foreign language)
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