Georgian Dream moves to adopt US-style foreign agent law
Georgia to adopt copy of US foreign agent law
A ruling party MP from Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze, announced that the party would adopt a bill that is a “direct copy of the current version of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).” He also stated that the government would establish a fund to finance civil society initiatives, requiring amendments to the “Law on Grants.”
“Last year, parliament passed a simplified version of FARA, which has yet to be fully implemented. As you know, despite its enforcement, several dozen of Georgia’s wealthiest and largest NGOs receiving foreign funding have not even registered in the registry.
Therefore, instead of a simplified version, we will adopt a new law that is a copy of the current U.S. legislation and ensure its full implementation,” Mdinaradze declared.
The MP once again accused the West of a “conspiracy to interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs and exert pressure on the country,” warning of a harsher response to such attempts:
“We promise the public that the more pressure, coercion, blackmail, and attempts to undermine Georgia’s independence and create disorder and chaos in our country, the stricter our response will be. We will employ both legal and political measures to prevent this, ensuring that our country is never subjected to blackmail again, that its institutions remain strong, and that no one dares to interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs or disregard the will of its people.”
On 28 May 2024, amid mass protests, Georgian Dream passed the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence,” restricting the activities of media outlets and NGOs. Opponents labeled it the “Russian law” due to its resemblance to Russia’s legislation on “foreign influence control.”
Georgia to adopt copy of US foreign agent law
