Georgia PM says copycat Russian law to be passed amid protests

TBILISI: Georgia´s prime minister on Monday vowed to ram controversial “foreign influence” legislation through parliament the next day despite mass protests against the law criticised for mirroring repressive Russian legislation.

His comments came as thousands of young Georgians crowded outside parliament for a third straight night of protests against the bill that has split the Caucasus country and triggered international condemnation.

A month of tensions over the bill that has been dubbed the “Russian law” by its critics is approaching a critical point, with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze confirming lawmakers would pass the bill on Tuesday.

“Tomorrow the parliament of Georgia will act on the will of the majority of the population and pass the law in the third reading,” he said in a televised address, even as protesters gathered outside parliament.

He warned that if authorities backed down, Georgia would lose sovereignty and “easily share the fate of Ukraine”, although it was not immediately clear what he meant by that. The prime minister also said that if the bill was dropped then protesters would next force the government to back down on other issues -- such as “same-sex legalisation” and “uncontrolled immigration”. The Georgian capital Tbilisi has been gripped by its largest street protests in years, ever since authorities in April revived plans that were shelved a year ago after a similar wave of rallies.