Georgia parliament advances controversial ‘Russian law’ targeting media [Video]

• Georgia’s parliament has passed a law in the first reading requiring media and non-profits to register as being under foreign influence if they receive over 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
• Critics say the law could hinder Georgia’s European Union aspirations, comparing it to Russian legislation targeting dissent.
• Although Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili would veto the law if it is passed by parliament in the third reading, the ruling party can override the veto by collecting 76 votes. 

Georgia’s parliament has voted in the first reading to approve a proposed law that would require media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

Opponents say the proposal would obstruct Georgia’s long-sought prospects of joining the European Union. They denounce it as “the Russian law” because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as …