Georgia’s parliament is set to approve a controversial “foreign agent” law on Tuesday, defying mass protests in the capital, Tbilisi, by tens of thousands of people denouncing the measure as a Russian-style effort to squash free speech.
Previously, the final vote was scheduled for the end of this week.
On Sunday, however, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze pledged to push ahead with a law despite the public outcry, and on Monday lawmakers began rushing through procedural steps, including a vote by the parliament’s legal committee.