The Biden administration expressed strong concern on Friday about Georgia's government attempting to pass a law inspired by Russia that is criticized for targeting civil society groups, NGOs, and free speech.
The U.S. is very worried about the Georgian Parliament introducing a revised version of last year's 'foreign agents law,' which requires NGOs and civil society groups receiving international funding to register as foreign agents, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Matthew Miller said the proposed law is a threat to civil society organizations that help the everyday citizens of Georgia in areas such as health, education, and social support.
It undermines Georgia's commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration and risks diverting Georgia from its European path. The U.S. has communicated these concerns to the Georgian government.
Georgia's ruling parliamentary party, Georgian Dream, announced on April 3 that it is reintroducing its 2023 foreign agents law, now renamed as “On Transparency of Foreign Influence,” after withdrawing it last year due to domestic and international opposition.
Georgian Dream stated that the law aims to bring transparency to the funding of NGOs, particularly those it sees as supporting revolutionary processes and causing unrest in the country.
The draft law is based on the same text as the 2023 'Foreign Agents' law, with the main difference being the definition of foreign agents as an 'organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power,' according to Georgian Dream.
Georgia, with two territories under Russian occupation since 2008, is seen as a target of Russia's expansionist goals, alongside the war in Ukraine. The pro-Russian Georgian Dream party-led government is trying to maintain ties with Moscow while also seeking to join the European Union.
The European Union expressed serious concerns on Thursday about the reintroduction of the foreign agents law and emphasized that transparency should not be used to limit the freedom of civil society to operate.
