Georgians have been protesting a controversial bill for days. Lawmakers scrapped it

Lawmakers in the former Soviet republic of Georgia voted to drop a controversial "foreign agents" bill on Friday after days of mass protests in the capital, Tbilisi, and widespread criticism from the West.

The law would have required all individuals, civil society organizations, and media outlets that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents, opening the door to monitoring and possible sanctions.

Supporters say such a measure would increase transparency, but its many critics fear it would stifle dissent, the media and democracy itself. They compare it to a similar law in Russia that the Kremlin has used to crack down on NGOs and independent journalists.