The Georgian Dream parliament on April 1 finally adopted a new law on "foreign agents," modeled on the American FARA law, but the Tbilisi equivalent is aimed at independent media and civil society organizations. The EU criticized the document.
Points of attention
- The Georgian Dream parliament passed a controversial law on 'foreign agents' resembling the American FARA law but targeting independent media and civil society organizations.
- The new legislation includes the return to the law on treason, renaming it 'treason to the motherland', and the exclusion of the concept of 'gender' from multiple laws.
- The EU strongly condemned the Georgian law, emphasizing threats to democracy, freedom of speech, and civil society, questioning Georgia's path towards EU accession.
The EU criticized the law on "foreign agents" adopted in Georgia
The Georgian Parliament has adopted amendments to the Law "On Broadcasting", according to which foreign funding of broadcasters will be prohibited and control over the activities of journalists will be strengthened.
At the same time, the Georgian Dream passed the Foreign Agents Registration Act, an analogue of the US FARA law, but unlike the American version, the Georgian law is directed against independent public organizations and media.
The article on treason, which was abolished in 2007, was also returned to the Georgian Criminal Code. It defined the concept of "high treason", but has now been renamed "treason to the motherland."
Georgian parliamentarians have removed the concept of "gender" from 15 existing laws: the wording "gender equality" has been changed to "equality between men and women", while "gender identity" will be excluded from the legislation.
The mandatory participation of NGOs in the legislative process has also been abolished. Georgian Dream explained this decision by saying that the activities of NGOs are "anti-democratic" and "subversive."
However, the participation of the third sector was one of the key requirements of the EU in preparation for Georgia's accession to the European Union.
The "Foreign Agents Registration Act" will enter into force 60 days after being signed by "elected" President Mikheil Kavelashvili, while other amendments will enter into force immediately after being signed.
European Diplomacy Chief Kaia Kallas and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos criticized the new document on "foreign agents" adopted by the "Georgian Dream", emphasizing that the laws "threaten the survival of civil society and independent media, curtail human rights protection, unduly restrict fundamental freedoms and undermine the democratic decision-making process."
"Georgia's return to the path of EU accession is entirely in the hands of the country's authorities. The European Union remains ready to support the European aspirations of the Georgian people and all efforts aimed at a democratic, stable and European future for Georgia," the European External Action Service said in a statement.
Kallas and Kos also stressed that the new laws "further undermine the foundations of democracy in Georgia" and are "fundamentally incompatible with the EU's values of democracy, the rule of law and media pluralism."
