Georgia’s president Salome Zourabichvili on Friday denounced as “unacceptable” a law on “foreign agents” that parliament passed this week based on Russian legislation and that critics see as a threat to free speech.

Zourabichvili sharply criticized the ruling Georgian Dream party for pushing through the legislation, which is widely seen as undermining Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union.

The law “is unacceptable because it reflects a change in Georgia’s approach to civil society, to media and to the recommendations of the European Commission, which is not in line with our policy of European integration,” Salome Zourabichvili said in an interview published Friday by The Associated Press.

Thousands of demonstrators blocked the streets of Georgia’s capital and rallied angrily outside parliament after lawmakers approved the legislation Tuesday despite strong criticism from the United States and the European Union.

The president, who has been increasingly at odds with the ruling party, has vowed to veto the legislation, but Georgian Dream has enough votes to override her veto.

The bill passed its third and final reading Tuesday by a vote of 84-30. It requires non-governmental organizations, media outlets and other entities that receive at least 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents,” as is the case in Russia.

The government says the measure is meant to make organizations more “transparent” about their funding, but in Russia the law has been used to stifle critical media and opponents of President Vladimir Putin.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said Monday that parliament would adopt the law Friday “in accordance with the will of the majority of the population” to protect the Caucasus country’s “national interests.”

“Faced with unjustified ultimatums and the loss of sovereignty, Georgia will share the fate of Ukraine. No one outside Georgia can prevent us from protecting our national interests,” he said.

The legislation has been the target of large opposition protests since early April, some of which have been violently dispersed.

Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December after what the European Commission called an “impressive track record” of democratic reforms.

The EU has called “unacceptable” the “intimidation, threats and attacks” of politicians, journalists and citizens who are standing up for democracy and a European future in Georgia.

The United States has also criticized the passage of the measure, with the White House saying it was “deeply concerned” and warning that it could reassess its relationship with Georgia.

NATO has also criticized the legislation, saying it undermines freedom of expression and association and that it takes the country further away from Euro-Atlantic integration.

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