The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has released all 133 protesters who were detained at the rallies on March 7 and 8.
"All persons detained in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses were released. Some of the detainees appeared before the court, and the rest were released in connection with the end of their stay in the pre-trial detention center," the department said in a statement.
At the same time, investigations into the criminal case regarding the use of violence against police officers under Articles 353 and 187 of the Criminal Code are ongoing.
- On March 7, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the draft law on "foreign agents" in the first reading. According to the document, mass media and public organizations that receive funding from abroad will be granted the status of "foreign agent". This is actually a copy of Russian law. After the adoption of the draft law, mass protests began in Tbilisi, water cannons, stun grenades and tear gas were used against the participants of the action. On the first day of the protests, 66 people were detained.
- The EU stated that the draft law contradicted the terms of the countryʼs entry into the bloc, the US embassy in Georgia called the adoption of this document "a black day for Georgian democracy", and President Salome Zurabishvili said she would veto the law. On the night of March 8-9, protests against this draft law continued in Georgia. In Tbilisi, the police used tear gas and water cannons, demonstrators threw stones, set garbage cans on fire, and erected barricades. Later, the authorities announced that they would withdraw the draft law.