The Georgian parliament passed a law to tighten checks on non-governmental organizations funded from abroad despite mass protests and a presidential veto, dismaying critics who say it runs counter to European values and the aspirations of Georgian people.
In a final step, lawmakers in Tbilisi overruled a veto by President Salome Zurabishvili opposing the law on Tuesday.
A simple majority is sufficient to reject the veto and 84 of the 150 members of parliament voted in favour of the law.
Zurabishvili said the law, which requires organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents," was "Russian in its essence and spirit."
Georgia's parliament passed the controversial legislation last week despite angry protests in Tbilisi and pleas by the European Union and the United States not to adopt it.
Tuesday's parliamentary debate again saw fierce accusations between the government and opposition.
Opposition lawmaker Anna Zitlidze accused the governing Georgian Dream party of pursuing a "thoughtless policy" that would block Georgia's path to the EU and cause numerous problems for the country.
But parliamentary leader Shalva Papuashvili said the opposition was acting not in the national interest, but in the interest of other countries, calling their actions an "open betrayal."
Thousands of people gathered outside the parliament in a renewed protest against the law, and a large police contingent was on hand, a dpa correspondent reported. The demonstrators insulted Georgian Dream lawmakers as "slaves," "traitors" and "Russians."
Critics say the regulation, slammed as the "Russian law," seeks to silence critical organizations and resembles a law passed in Russia to contain so-called foreign agents that the Kremlin has used for years to suppress the opposition and independent media.
Thousands of people have been demonstrating against the law and a further rally is planned in Tbilisi later this evening.
Georgia acquired the status of an EU candidate country last year, but critics fear the new law will block the path to EU membership.
Council of Europe experts also criticized the law, saying it has fundamental flaws in its current form that would have significant negative consequences for freedom of expression and assembly, the right to privacy and the right to engage in social activities.
Germany and France also expressed their "deep concern" about the situation in Georgia, saying they took note with deep regret of the decision by the Georgian government and ruling party to deviate from the European path in a statement on Sunday.
"Our two countries have always been in favour of Georgia's European path and actively supported the decision of the European Council of December 2023 to grant candidate status," the Franco-German declaration said.
Paris and Berlin said the Georgian government was acting against common European values and the aspirations of the Georgian people.