In Georgia, two months after the high-profile law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” came into force, the first non-profit organizations were added to the register of “foreign agents”.
Echo of the Caucasus reports this today, October 1.
There are currently five organizations included in the register:
- “Youth organization of Ukrainians of Georgia – Dawn”;
- “Trade Union of Farmers and Agricultural Workers of Georgia”;
- “Kutaisi Youth House”;
- “Union of Christians”;
- “Jewish Cultural and Educational Fund”.
According to this law, media and non-governmental organizations that, according to 2023 data, received more than 20% of their income from abroad (and this is the vast majority of Georgian online media and NGOs working predominantly with Western foundations) were required to apply for registration as organizations pursuing the interests of foreign power.
Many non-governmental organizations and media outlets in Georgia have stated that they will not comply with the requirements of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence and will not register in the Ministry of Justice register.
Failure to comply with the law, including refusal to register, media and NGOs face heavy fines. To identify the leading interests of foreign power organizations and verify compliance with the requirements of the law, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia can conduct monitoring at any time, and an authorized official can obtain the necessary information, including personal data.
Georgia’s international partners have directly stated that the adoption of this Russian-style law will significantly remove the country from the European Union. According to the EU Ambassador to Georgia Pavel Gerchinsky, the process of Georgia joining the union has been stopped.
Source: “Echo of the Caucasus”
Foreign agent, agent, non-agent: laws of the USA, EU and Georgia
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.