Police in Georgia use tear gas to disperse demonstrations against the draft media law

Tbilisi [Georgia], March 8: Georgian authorities used tear gas and water cannons today to disperse protesters who gathered in front of the parliament building in the capital Tbilisi, dissatisfied with a bill they see as stifling press freedom.
The law would require media and non-governmental organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources to register as "agents of foreign influence."
International organizations have expressed concern over the draft law, saying it is against Georgia's democratic development.
Hundreds of demonstrators have been gathering for days in protest against the proposed law, and at one point a fight broke out among the deputies.
The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, said that she will veto the law, but its authors say that it is necessary to achieve transparency in the work of entities financed by representatives of foreign countries. Parliament can override a presidential veto.
In Russia, the foreign agent law is often used to shut down organizations and news outlets that criticize the government.
Georgian civil activists and opposition representatives blocked both entrances to the parliament building, chanting: "No to Russian law!", "Russians!" and "
The US and the European Union have warned Georgia that passing this law would harm its chances of ever joining the EU and NATO.
Source: Beta News Agency