Bidzina Ivanishvili

Mass protests against the law have swept the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million in recent weeks, with the latest violent clash between demonstrators and police happening outside the parliament in Tbilisi today. Footage shows demonstrators attempting to break through the barriers outside the government building as hundreds of police officers storm out and roughly drag people wrapped in Georgian flags away from the barriers. A violent brawl also erupted inside the parliament as lawmakers were debating the bill earlier today before it was approved. Georgian Dream MP Dimitry Samkharadze was seen charging toward Levan Khabeishvili, the chairman of main opposition party United National Movement, after Khabeishvili accused him of organising mobs to beat up opposition supporters.

The ex-Soviet republic has been gripped for weeks by huge protests over the bill, dubbed the 'Russian law' as it resembles repressive legislation used by the Kremlin. Protesters - largely young people - are furious over the bill, saying it will sabotage the Caucasus country's hopes of joining the EU and will end democracy in the country. The ruling Georgian Dream party - which was forced to drop a similar bill last year after a huge backlash - are intent on passing the bill Tuesday, arguing it is all about transparency. The law requires NGOs and media receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as an 'organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power'. MPs on Monday pushed the bill through a parliamentary legal committee in minutes. Tens of thousands protested against the bill Sunday, with some staying all night to stop ruling party MPs from entering the parliament building Monday.

Riot police in Georgia have allegedly beaten up the leader of Georgia's main opposition party after he stood up to the country's new 'Putin-inspired' law as cops used tear gas and stun grenades to break up huge protests outside parliament. Levan Khabeishvili, who heads the United National Movement Party, which is pro-NATO and pro-European Union, shared a photo of himself after he had sustained horrific injuries after a night of fighting between protesters and police in Tbilisi. The politician could be seen with a swollen black eye, a bloodied and broken nose, and a missing tooth after claiming he had been kidnapped and attacked for opposing the ruling party's 'foreign influence' law. Khabeishvili later appeared in the Georgian parliament with his face wrapped in bandages as he opposed the legislation, which has been dubbed by critics as 'Kremlin-inspired'. 'If someone thinks we won't smile because we lose a tooth or can't open our eyes, they are very mistaken. We will smile because Georgia will win,' the politician told the chamber after being brought in in a wheelchair.