Georgian Ombudsman: “FARA is a US law, so it cannot be called undemocratic”
Georgian ombudsman on foreign agents’ law
According to the Public Broadcaster, Georgian Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani stated that FARA is a US law and cannot be considered undemocratic. What matters, he said, is how it will be incorporated into the Georgian context.
What did Levan Ioseliani say?
“When the law ‘On Transparency of Foreign Influence’ was first proposed, my position was that transparency is a legitimate aim, and going forward we will monitor to what extent this law may in practice restrict the rights of specific individuals or NGOs. In my view, the initial concerns about the law were exaggerated.
As for FARA, it is an American law. Therefore, it cannot be described as undemocratic.
However, we will be watching closely how the Georgian version of FARA plays out in our context, and whether it creates problems for human rights. If anything like that happens, then of course I, as the Ombudsman, will speak out publicly.”
The “Foreign Agents Registration Act,” a verbatim copy of the U.S. FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act), was approved by the Georgian Dream-led parliament on 1 April 2025. Government representatives claim its goal is to limit external interference in the country’s affairs and the work of state institutions.
The law introduces a broad definition of “foreign agent,” applying to any legal or natural persons who receive any funding from abroad and engage in civic, political, or informational activities. Such individuals or organizations are required to register, and failure to comply can lead to fines or imprisonment of up to five years.
Independent legal experts confirm that the text of the law is almost identical to the American FARA, but its purpose has been completely altered. In the U.S., FARA is deliberately not applied to NGOs, media outlets, or organizations serving the public interest. It targets only entities that are “directly subject to the tasks and influence of a foreign government.” Moreover, the U.S. has an independent judiciary. In Georgia, enforcement of the FARA-style law is assigned to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which is not an independent body.
It is worth recalling that the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Marta Kos, issued a joint statement describing the adoption of this law as yet another aggressive move by Georgian Dream to suppress dissent.
