Thousands of protesters blocked a central intersection in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, where protests against the controversial “foreign agents” bill are ongoing.

Georgia’s parliament approved in second reading the bill on “foreign agents”, which has been criticized as being Russian-inspired. The third reading of the bill is expected to take place in about two weeks.

The bill, backed by the ruling coalition led by the Georgian Dream Party, would require organizations that receive at least 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” and put them under surveillance by the Ministry of Justice, otherwise they will be subject to heavy fines.

Bill critics compare it to a 2012 Russian law that has been steadily expanded since then and is being used to crack down on civil society and independent media in Russia.

Georgian President, Salome Zourabisvili, has said that she will veto the bill which, if passed, would jeopardize Georgia’s hopes of joining the European Union and NATO.

Also read: Russia | Accusation regarding attempted coup in Georgia

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