Under the new draft, many businesses, members of the Parliament and government officials would have to register as “foreign agents”. The draft law would impose intrusive reporting requirements and potential criminal prosecution on many ordinary Georgians. It is poorly suited to address the type of nefarious foreign influence its authors claim to target. For example, a Russian spy would not be required to register under the proposed Act as it exempts “any foreign public official.”
Meanwhile, the Georgian Parliament passed the previous draft on March 7 in the first reading. Protests organised in Tbilisi escalated quickly, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to block protesters. The proposed first draft law would label non-entrepreneurial legal entities (NNLEs) - the most common CSO type in the country - and mass media as “foreign agents” if 20% of their total revenue is from foreign sources. The draft laws received wide criticism from Georgian people, but also from the international community and could hinder the country’s planned EU accession.
Read ECNL’s and ICNL’s latest briefer to find out more: