Georgian president says ‘foreign influence’ law threatens path to EU

Georgia President Salome Zourabichvili vows to veto the controversial "foreign agent" law, she said in a May 15, 2024, interview with VOA. FILE - Protestors wave EU and Georgian national flags as they gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 15, 2024, to protest against a "foreign agent" law.

Georgia’s parliament this week passed a so-called “foreign influence” bill. The government says the bill is needed to prevent foreign interference in its politics, but critics call it a Russian-style threat to stifle free speech.