- Advertisement -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday night that he wanted “a success of democracy” for protesters in Georgia who are opposing a bill that his critics say signals a shift towards authoritarianism in the country.

“There is no Ukrainian who does not wish success to our friend Georgia. A success of democracy. A European success”, emphasized Zelensky. “All free nations in Europe deserve” to be members of the European Union, he argued, as Kiev and Tbilisi aspire to join the EU.

- Advertisement -

Massive protests, as well as violent incidents, are taking place in Georgia after the Parliament on Tuesday approved the first reading of a bill on “foreign agents”.

The law would require organizations that receive at least 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” and put them under the watch of the Justice Department or face heavy fines.

Critics of the law compare it to a 2012 Russian law that has been steadily expanded since then and is being used to crack down on civil society and independent media in Russia.