Georgian MP, in Parliament, With a Swollen Face: “Because of Russia”. Violence Continues in Tbilisi

“What you see on my body is because of Russia,” said Levan Habeishvili, who appeared in the Georgian Parliament on Wednesday with his nose bandaged and his right eye swollen shut.

The Georgian MP allegedly became a victim of the brutality of law enforcement, which intervened violently since Tuesday evening to repress a demonstration denouncing the so-called law against “foreign agents”, considered by the opposition to be Russian-inspired and anti-EU .

The violence was repeated on Wednesday evening, on the day when the Parliament in Tbilisi, dominated by the Georgian Dream party, led from the shadows by an oligarch with business in Russia, adopted in the second reading – with 83 votes in favor and 23 against – the controversial bill.

Thousands of Georgians have been protesting peacefully since the re-introduction of this bill to Parliament on April 9. Denouncing this Georgian Dream initiative, the demonstrators are waving the Georgian flag alongside the EU flag to defend the democratic values ​​and European future of the former Soviet republic in the South Caucasus.

But events took a violent turn from Tuesday evening, when police intervened with tear gas, water cannons and, according to some accounts, even rubber bullets. A total of 63 people were arrested on Tuesday evening.

Georgia’s interior ministry says police used force “legitimately” because protesters “became violent”.

Human rights activist Levan Ioseliani called for an investigation into the use of “disproportionate force” against protesters and journalists.

The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabishvili, condemned the “repression of the peaceful assembly” and the “disproportionate use of force”.

Ursula von der Leyen urges Georgia to stay on course towards the EU

From Brussels, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, “strongly condemned the violence” of the Georgian police and called on the authorities to “guarantee the right to peaceful assembly”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that she was following the demonstrations in Georgia with “deep concern” and called on the leadership in Tbilisi to “stay the course” towards the EU. In December, the EU granted Georgia candidate status.

However, the Georgian Dream party wants to finally adopt the draft law on “foreign agents” by mid-May. The text still needs to be adopted in the third reading, but it is unlikely to pass the veto already announced by Salome Zurabişvili, who is in conflict with the ruling party. However, the Georgian Dream has enough votes to override the presidential veto.

This bill is inspired by legislation used by the Kremlin to suppress dissenting voices. If the text is adopted, then any NGO or media organization that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad would have to register as an “organization that pursues the interests of a foreign power.” The incumbent Georgian government claims the measure is intended to force organizations to demonstrate greater “transparency” about their funding. A first version of the bill was abandoned last year amid widespread protests.

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