Georgia’s one-party parliament considers bill similar to US FARA

Georgian parliament to review FARA-style bill

A bill, purportedly modeled after the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), has been submitted for consideration in Georgia’s one-party parliament. It will now be reviewed by parliamentary committees.

According to Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, the current draft is a direct translation of the US law, with terminology such as “President of the United States,” “Congress,” and “State Department” set to be adjusted to fit Georgia’s legal framework.

“This will put an end to any disinformation spread by some individuals, both domestically and abroad, regarding Georgian laws,” Papuashvili stated.

Notably, just a year ago, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called FARA “a complete disaster” and insisted that the Georgian government “could not afford to adopt such a law.”

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On February 5, Mamuka Mdinaradze, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party, announced plans for new legislative changes, stating that the party would pass a bill that is a “precise copy of the current version of the US FARA.”

“Last year, parliament passed a lighter version of FARA, which has yet to be fully implemented. Therefore, instead, we will adopt the new American law and ensure its full enforcement,” Mdinaradze said.

The “lighter version” refers to the law on the Transparency of Foreign Influence, adopted in Georgia in May 2024. At the time, the government also claimed it was modeled after FARA, though opposition groups and civil society argued that it resembled Russia’s foreign agent law.

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The US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which Georgian Dream persistently cites, was enacted in 1938, ahead of World War II, to protect the American public from Nazi propaganda. Neither then nor now has FARA applied to America’s allies or friendly nations.

Moreover, FARA does not cover media outlets or NGOs—only lobbying organizations. This is a key distinction from Georgia’s Law on the Transparency of Foreign Influence, which has a much broader scope.