Georgia's foreign agent law comes into effect
Georgia's controversial foreign agents law came into effect on Aug. 1, giving organizations that receive foreign funding one month to register with the Justice Ministry.
Failure to do so by Sept. 1, when the official monitoring period begins, could result in fines of 25,000 Georgian lari ($9,200).
The foreign agents law, first introduced in the parliament in 2023 by the ruling Georgian Dream party, would require organizations that receive foreign funding to be labeled as such. Widespread demonstrations broke out in protest of the proposed law, and it was eventually abandoned in March 2023.
Georgian Dream nonetheless revived the law in April 2024 and passed it in the face of historic street protests and international condemnation.
The legislation, along with the excessive use of police force toward protesters and a growing crackdown on civil society, has strained Georgia's relations with its traditional Western allies.
Tangible consequences have begun to emerge as a result.
The U.S. implemented the first tranche of sanctions against Georgian government officials on June 6, imposing travel restrictions on individuals "responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia."
The U.S. on July 5 indefinitely postponed joint military exercises with Georgia.
On July 31, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will pause more than $95 million in assistance to Georgia.
The U.S. move comes weeks after Brussels froze 30 million euros ($32 million) in defense sector funding for Georgia after halting its EU accession process in June.
