AMNA NAWAZ: Today, the Parliament in the country of Georgia passed a contentious new bill that requires aid and civil society groups and media that receive foreign funding to register as -- quote -- "organizations serving the interests of a foreign power."

Georgia is a country of 3.6 million people between Russia and Turkey on the Black Sea.

Critics dub the bill the Russia law and say it could increase Russian influence and block Georgia's integration into the West.

Here's Nick Schifrin with more.

NICK SCHIFRIN: They filled the streets of the capital, Tbilisi, by the tens of thousands, mostly young Georgians who hope the West is their future and their shield against authorities pushing the new law and pushing back on demonstrators' dreams.

Police have kicked, beaten, surrounded and arrested dozens of protesters, including two Americans.

These are the largest protests in Georgia since independence nearly 35 years ago.

ANA TSITLIDZE, Georgia Parliament Member: The consequences of this law will be very, very bad for Georgia, for the civil society of Georgia, for the opposition of Georgia.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Ana Tsitlidze is a Georgian parliamentarian and member of the opposition United National Movement.

When she protested, she ended up in the back of an ambulance beaten by police.

ANA TSITLIDZE: I was injured when I tried to help the young girl.

I was beaten, and I was hospitalized.

We are very, very angry.

And I don't care.

I'm angry.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The ruling Georgian Dream party has pushed through the law that designates organizations with more than 20 percent foreign financing as -- quote -- "foreign influence agents."

The party's chairman, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, argues the bill increases transparency and fights foreign meddling.

BIDZINA IVANISHVILI, Honorary Chairman, Georgian Dream Party (through translator): The financing of NGOs, which portrays itself as assistance, is in reality strengthening intelligence agencies and helping bring them to power.

This money has nothing to do with assistance.

Their only aim is the loss of Georgian sovereignty.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But the bill's critics call it a Trojan horse that echoes Russia's 2012 foreign agent law, which the Kremlin used to crack down on criticism and even detain American journalists, despite initially claiming it too was designed to tackle foreign meddling.

Today, in Georgia's Parliament, the two sides tussled before the final vote.

Ana Tsitlidze tried to keep the peace, even if she says the bill wages war on Georgia's civil society.

ANA TSITLIDZE: If you compare the text of Ivanishvili's law and Putin's Russian law, you can see that they are very similar.

And this bill have -- gives possibility government to monitoring NGOs, to close them if he decided to arrest the civil activists.

We already see consequences.

We have politicians who are beaten by the special forces of Ivanishvili.

NICK SCHIFRIN: More than 20 years ago, Georgia was the first ex-Soviet republic to launch a pro-democracy revolution.

In 2008, Russian troops invaded and have occupied 20 percent of Georgia ever since.

Georgian Dream won elections in 2012, financed by Ivanishvili's billions, which were made in post-Soviet Russia.

TINATIN JAPARIDZE, Eurasia Group: Now, more than ever, there is so much at stake here.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Tinatin Japaridze is an analyst for Eurasia group.

She says Georgian Dream's motivation to stay in power past upcoming elections has led it to align with Moscow.

TINATIN JAPARIDZE: It's likely that the timing of this rollout by the Georgian Dream, in many ways influenced and inspired, if not directly asked, by the Kremlin.

We are seeing now a lot of signposts that show that a lot of the Georgian Dream's objectives and goals coincide with the broader goals and objectives of Russia.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And those goals could threaten Georgians' desire to join the European Union and the E.U.

's willingness to continue negotiations.

It could also lead to U.S. sanctions and the end of U.S. military and economic aid, Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Jim O'Brien warned today in Tbilisi.

JAMES O'BRIEN, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs: If the law goes forward, out of conformity with E.U.

norms, and there's undermining of democracy here and there's violence against peaceful protesters, peaceful protesters, then we will see restrictions coming from the United States.

Those tend to be financial and/or travel restrictions on the individuals responsible for those actions and their families.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Do you want the United States to do more?

ANA TSITLIDZE: And the United States also, I think, must ensure sanctions against the Ivanishvili, against the Ivanishvili's family members, against the Georgian Dream leaders, against the members of the Parliament from the Georgian Dream who voted for this Russian law, and against the special forces leaders of Ivanishvili who beat the young people in the streets of Tbilisi.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And so the people will prolong their protests even today, banging on the barricades of the institution meant to protect them, fearing their future and their country's relationship with the West is under threat.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin.