Georgia protests: Riot police face off against foreign influence bill demonstrators
Overnight protests in Georgia have continued into the morning in a last-ditch effort to prevent the passing of a controversial law, BBC reports.
After a standoff with protesters outside parliament in Tbilisi, security forces pulled out from the main square on Monday morning.
The protesters oppose a controversial foreign influence bill, described by critics as the "Russia law".
Georgian MPs will hear the third and final reading of the bill on Monday.
The bill targets civil society organisations and independent media that receive foreign funding.
Protesters are concerned that the law would be used by the government to clamp down on dissent, and would harm Georgia's hopes of joining the European Union.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators spent the night outside Tbilisi's parliament building, dancing as it rained through the dark hours.
Two US citizens and one Russian were among 20 people arrested at protests, Russian state news reported, citing the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Protesters plan to continue their noise through the parliamentary session in the hopes the sound will encourage MPs to reconsider voting for the bill.
Opponents of the bill say the measures are inspired by Russian legislation passed in 2012, which they say has been used since then to crack down on people critical of the Kremlin.
This proposed legislation would force non-governmental groups and media to register as "organisations serving the interest of a foreign power" if more than 20% of their funding comes from overseas.
The governing Georgian Dream party says the measure would increase transparency and defend Georgia's sovereignty.
