The Georgian Parliament passed the final reading of a new "foreign agents" law, Georgian media outlet Sova reported on April 1.
The law, replacing a controversial version adopted in May 2024, broadens the definition of foreign agents to include individuals, with noncompliance punishable by up to five years in prison or a $10,000 fine.
Based on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the Georgian version includes a set of restrictive changes to the country’s broadcasting law.
FARA, originally enacted in the U.S. in 1938 to counter Nazi and Soviet ideology, requires foreign lobbyists to disclose their ties and funding sources. The law has rarely been enforced—only a handful of cases have led to criminal charges in recent decades.
Georgian opposition leaders argued that the Georgian Dream party’s use of FARA as a model is misleading, as the U.S. law is narrowly applied and not used to target NGOs or media, unlike the Georgian version.
Approved by 86 MPs, the Georgian law targets both organizations and individuals who receive foreign funding and fail to register with the Justice Ministry.
The legislation includes criminal penalties for noncompliance, which lawmakers say are meant to prevent evasion and ensure the public knows how foreign money is used.
Several NGOs have begun re-registering in countries like Estonia to avoid falling under the law’s jurisdiction.
The bill has drawn sharp criticism from Georgian opposition parties and U.S. and EU officials, who believe this bill will be used as a tool to further suppress civil society and independent media.
Originally, the first version of the foreign agents bill was passed in May 2024, in its third and final reading. The law, backed by Georgian Dream, mirrors repressive Russian legislation used to crack down on the Kremlin regime's critics and NGOs in Russia with foreign ties of any kind.
Georgian Dream’s repressions against independent media and decisions to distance the country from the EU have prompted mass protests spanning months and violent crackdowns by the police.
Dmytro Basmat
(Updated: )
