'We will not work under Russian laws': over 100 organisations in Georgia issue joint statement
Statement against FARA in Georgia
“In the US, the current FARA law (Foreign Agents Registration Act) does not hinder the work of independent NGOs or free media, whereas the illegitimate regime of [Bidzina] Ivanishvili is trying to repackage the Russian law adopted against civil society,” reads the joint statement by Georgian NGOs and media organisations.
The statement is aimed at opposing the draft law initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which is allegedly a word-for-word translation of the American FARA law.
- Georgian vs. American ‘foreign agent’ law: What’s the difference?
- SJC: ‘Reasonable interpretation of FARA in Georgia will keep media and NGOs out of its scope’
“Every action by Ivanishvili’s illegitimate parliament that restricts the freedom of the people is unconstitutional and anti-popular. The tightening of a failed Russian-style law to intimidate citizens with criminal prosecution is likewise unconstitutional and goes against the country’s interests,” the authors of the statement write.
They recall that as early as 2023, they warned that once the “foreign agents” law (“On Transparency of Foreign Influence”) was passed, it would be gradually toughened, affect all citizens, and severely restrict their rights—just as it happened in Russia and other authoritarian regimes.
In their view, the initiation and adoption of this law marked a shift in the country’s foreign policy and a betrayal of the Georgian Constitution.
“The Ivanishvili regime is trying to suppress any expression of freedom. After the politically motivated arrests of over 50 people, crackdowns and repressions, it now seeks to abandon victims of violence—women and children—cut funding for scientists, youth, and socially vulnerable families, silence the regions, workers, internally displaced persons, and all those fighting for their rights.
For the third year in a row, Georgian civil society has made it clear to Ivanishvili: we will not live or work under Russian laws. In any form, a Russian-style law will never be Georgia’s choice. Accordingly, we, the undersigned independent Georgian NGOs and media organisations, remain committed to the Constitution of Georgia and to our mission—serving the people of Georgia,” reads the statement signed by over a hundred organisations, including JAMnews.
