Georgian parliament approves draft law on foreign agents

Georgia's parliament approved the first reading of a bill on "foreign agents" that has provoked several days of protests by critics who see it as authoritarian and Russian-inspired.

Eighty-three out of 150 MPs voted in favour of the bill, while opposition MPs boycotted the vote. It must pass two more readings before becoming law, Caliber.Az reports citing Georgian media.

The bill would require organisations receiving more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, and has been compared by critics to a law that Russia has used extensively to crack down on dissent.

The Georgian parliament approved the draft law on foreign agents in the first reading, 83 MPs were in favor of the decision, 0 against.

The bill has yet to pass its second and third readings. The ruling majority is expected to pass the bill in its final, third reading by May 17, as no accelerated procedure is foreseen yet.