**Parliament Approves Tighter Rules for Assemblies and Demonstrations**
The Georgian Parliament has given its support to a bill that aims to make it harder to hold assemblies and demonstrations. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, initiated the bill in an expedited manner. It was passed in the first reading with 80 votes in favor.
**Changes to Eight Laws**
The bill involves making changes to eight laws. The draft legislative amendments have been sent to committees for review. After that, they will be discussed at a parliamentary session. Seven members of Georgian Dream are behind the project: Archil Gorduladze, Tornike Cheishvili, Davit Matikashvili, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, Guram Macharashvili, Aleksandre Tabatadze, and Rati Ionatamishvili.
**Tighter Rules for Protests**
Georgian Dream wants to introduce stricter rules for protests. For example, it will be against the law to hold a protest in a closed building without permission from the owner. The fines for minor offenses such as vandalism or disobeying police officers will increase too. In some cases, people could face up to 3 years in prison.
**Increased Penalties**
The bill also includes increased penalties for attacking police officers or government officials and their families. This would include longer jail terms if the attack is carried out in a group or with dangerous means.
