On May 14, against the backdrop of another massive public protest on Rustaveli Avenue, the Georgian Parliament adopted a notorious law on foreign agents in its third and final reading.
Citizens gathered on Rustaveli Avenue from 10:00 a.m. The plenary session began at 12:00 p.m. After a few hours, when the law was finally adopted, the MPs left the Parliament building accompanied by law enforcement for their safety. There was an unprecedented heavy mobilization of riot police on Rustaveli Avenue, although the protest was peaceful.
Police arrested dozens of citizens. They used pepper spray and brute force. Lazare Grigoriadis, 22, who had earlier been released from prison, and Davit Katsarava, a leader of the anti-occupation movement, were among those arrested and brutally beaten. Video footage shows demonstrators being snatched and dragged into the courtyard of the Parliament or into a group of riot police and severely beaten.
Despite the excessive use of force by the police, the citizens remained on Rustaveli Avenue until the late evening part of them moving also to the Heroes Square, where the crackdown by police continued. The Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Lithuania, Czech Republic, Finland and Poland and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, who were on their visit to Georgia, joined the people on Rustaveli Avenue, addressed the protesters and expressed their solidarity with them.
Protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protester with EU, Georgian flags in front of the riot police, May 14 protest against foreign agents law, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protesters in front of the parliament during rally against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
The banners read: “On the way to freedom;” “Thanks God I am not Russian.” May 14 protest against foreign agents law; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Riot police, water cannons on the freedom square, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protester waving EU flag; Protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protester with Georgian flag; Protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Riot police on Rustaveli Avenue during protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Riot police during protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Riot police during protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Riot police face citizens on Rustaveli Avenue during protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protester with Georgian flag in front of the riot police, May 14 protest against foreign agents law, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protesters at rally against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protester with Georgian flag in front of the riot police, May 14 protest against foreign agents law, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protester during rally against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Youth protesting foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protesters at rally against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Khatia Dekanoidze, opposition MP at protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Citizen on the barricade in front of the Parliament during protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Riot police during protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Otar Zurabishvili, brother of President Salome Zurabishvili during protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
The banner reads: “My father did not fight for Russia and Russophiles, he fough for Georgia.” Protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protester during rally against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Citizen injured by pepper spray during protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protester with EU, Georgian flags in front of the riot police, May 14 protest against foreign agents law, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Protest against foreign agents law, May 14, Tbilisi; Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge 
Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of Parliaments of EU Member States address protesters on Rustaveli Avenue, May 14; Photo: Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge 
Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of Parliaments of EU Member States address protesters on Rustaveli Avenue, May 14; Photo: Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
Also Read:
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)