TRANSCRIPT
Georgia's president has vetoed the so-called Foreign Agents Bill targeting media that has sparked weeks of mass protests.
The controversial bill has passed its third and final reading.
President Salome Zourabichvili says she opposes the law introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party because it contradicts the country's constitution.
"Today, I vetoed the Russian law. This law, in its essence, in its spirit, is a Russian law, which contradicts our constitution and all European standards and thus, represents an obstacle on the European path. The veto is legally correct and will be submitted to Parliament today. The law is not subject to any change or improvement. it is very simple - this law must be abolished."
The bill requires media outlets and civil society groups receiving more than 20 percent of their income from abroad to register as "agents of foreign influence".
The government says the law is needed to respond to harmful foreign actors aiming to destabilise politics.
Critics of the bill say it closely resembles legislation used in neighbouring Russia to silence opponents, including independent media and NGOs monitoring corruption.
The European Union has said the law is "incompatible with European values" and would compromise the country's bid to become a member of the bloc, after it it was granted candidate status to Georgia in December.
The Georgian Dream party has a sufficient majority in parliament to override Ms Zourabichvili’s veto, and is widely expected to do so in the coming days.
Meanwhile, outside the parliament, youth activists continued their weeks-long protest in opposition to the draft bill, which is very similar to one that was withdrawn by the Georgian Dream party last year after mass street protests.
With the country set to hold a parliamentary election on October 26, protester Ana Muradashvili says she is worried about the future of the country's democracy - and any moves towards a Russia-style authoritarian rule.
"Even if they adopt the law, obviously we are going to continue fighting and coming here every day because Georgian people will never give up. So this is our future. We're not fighting here just as a civil society. We are fighting here because our future lies here."
Also protesting is Nodar Kvirkadze. He says Georgia's European Union membership is at stake.
"The president did what she had to do. So there is a message for the rest of the government to do the same, and about this law to keep it out from Georgian people. Because we all need Europe, we are going to Europe and we don't need this Russian government here."
Protestor Ekaterina Natenadze says the country as a former Soviet republic has been working to move forward - and she hopes democracy is kept alive.
"I don't know how much we will get out of it, as the ruling party has full power to put the law in action anyway. So I think what we need now is consolidation of the power (among the) opposition. We need to know where to go because the way how the ruling party is acting right now is disappointing."
