![Rallying Georgians express fear, despair as 'anti-NGO' law looms](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/18/a2/93/Rallying-Georgians-express-fear--de-115695.jpg)
-
Coughlin clings to lead at LPGA Canadian Women's Open
-
Trump offers tech sector policy flips ahead of election
-
Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter
-
What's the fallout of Mexican drug lords' capture?
-
Video game makers see actors as AI 'data,' says union on strike
-
Chinese qualifier Shang to face Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis
-
Concern grows as Venezuela blocks election observers
-
'Massive attack' on French rail threatens more chaos
-
'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony
-
Blinken, in Laos, set for talks with Chinese foreign minister
-
Regional concern grows as Venezuela blocks vote observers
-
Historic river parade, Dion show-stopper ignite Paris Olympics
-
Rainy Paris Olympic parade dampens many spectators' spirits
-
G20 pledges to work together to tax ultra-rich
-
The one of a kind Paris opening ceremony: five memorable moments
-
Justin Timberlake seeks to dismiss DUI case
-
Warner Brothers Discovery sues NBA over Amazon rights deal
-
Kobe Bryant locker, Maradona jersey up for auction in New York
-
Historic river parade launches Paris Olympics
-
Stocks rise as US inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
New York family of Holocaust victim reclaims Nazi-looted art
-
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
-
Thousands evacuate season's biggest wildfire in northern California
-
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
-
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
-
Lady Gaga adds sparkle to star-studded Olympic show
-
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
-
Teams sail down Seine in rain-soaked Olympics opening ceremony
-
Norris hoping for more after topping Belgian practice times
-
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
-
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
-
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
-
Mott's England future uncertain as ECB chief fails to offer support
-
Trump meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida
-
S.African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp
-
Blinken set for talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos
-
Norris heads Piastri in McLaren one-two at Belgian GP practice
-
G20 seeks common ground on taxing super-rich
-
European medicines watchdog rejects new Alzheimer's drug
-
Harris gets vital Obama backing in battle against Trump
-
Habib, Ebden eye Alcaraz and Djokovic shocks at Olympics tennis
-
Stocks rise as inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
-
Two Sinaloa Cartel leaders face US charges after stunning capture
-
Spain train driver jailed for 2.5 years over deadly 2013 crash
-
Paris poised for Olympic opening ceremony spectacular
-
Judoka fails doping test in first case at Paris Olympics
-
Holder and Da Silva keep England at bay after West Indies collapse
-
Alpine F1 boss Bruno Famin to leave in August
-
Ethiopia declares three days of mourning after landslide tragedy
![Rallying Georgians express fear, despair as 'anti-NGO' law looms](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/18/a2/93/Rallying-Georgians-express-fear--de-115695.jpg)
Rallying Georgians express fear, despair as 'anti-NGO' law looms
Thousands of Georgians rallied in the capital Tbilisi on Sunday to mark independence day, with many expressing fear the government's coming "foreign influence" law will draw them closer to Russia and derail their dream of joining the EU.
The law, which targets NGOs and media outlets receiving funding from abroad, is expected to be passed by legislators next week despite it being vetoed by the country's pro-EU president and condemned by Western governments.
On one of the busiest streets in the city, thousands waved European flags and carried placards denouncing what critics have called the "Russian law" over its similarity to legislation first passed by the Kremlin.
"This law is a big threat," 25-year-old protestor Giorgi told AFP.
"The government will use this in the way they want," he said, adding he believed the law would put Tbilisi on a path "straight to Russia".
"That's why we are all standing here, to say: we want independence, we want a united Georgia and we want Europe," he said.
The proposed legislation, introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream conservative party, would require groups receiving over 20 percent of funding from abroad to register as "organisations pursuing the interests of a foreign power".
The United States said this week it had imposed visas restrictions on officials behind the law, which it argued would "stifle the exercise of freedoms of association and expression".
- 'Until we win' -
Opposition politicians have accused the government of being seeking to appease the Kremlin, an accusation it denies.
Georgian Dream says the bill aims to ensure "transparency" among the country's many NGOs.
But Eka Gigauri, the local head of anti-corruption NGO Transparency International, said the legislation would only restrict her work.
"We expect that they will freeze our assets and accounts and they will not allow us to monitor the elections," she told AFP at the protest.
Kate, a 41-year-old worker at a local aviation manufacturer, told AFP she believed the law would "kill free society".
"I don't want to leave my country. I want to stay here, to raise my child here, I want to see my country really free," she said, adding that she was also protesting against what she called the "Russian regime in Georgia".
"I'm quite sure that next week the Russian law will pass," 32-year-old Salome said at the demonstration.
But she said she was "inspired by the people" who had taken to the streets for more than a month against the law.
"So it's an ongoing protest, never-ending until we win," she told AFP.
L.Janezki--BTB