Georgian authorities announce adoption of a "direct copy" of the American FARA law
A similar law to the American FARA will be adopted in Georgia in the near future. This announcement was made today by the executive secretary of the Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze. Thus, the ruling party will expand the current legislation on "foreign agents" - now it will also affect individuals.
"We are initiating a bill that will be a direct copy of the current version of the American FARA... Last year, we adopted a simplified version, but you know that several dozen of the richest and largest NGOs receiving external funding did not register in the registry. Therefore, instead of it, we will receive a new American law, a direct copy of its current version, and we will ensure its full implementation," Mdinaradze explained.
The so-called "American" version of the law provides for the possibility of obtaining the status of "foreign agent" not only by non-profit legal entities with foreign funding, but also by everyone, including individuals. For failure to fulfill obligations, a person may face criminal liability.
Mdinaradze emphasized that the Trump administration acknowledged the use of American funding to support revolutions in various countries, including Georgia. However, the media have already disputed this point, emphasizing that the new US government has never mentioned Georgia in such a context.
Recall that on August 1 last year, the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, also known as the Law on Foreign Agents, came into force in Georgia. Its adoption caused mass protests in the country and a flurry of criticism from the West. According to opponents of this initiative, the Georgian law is an analogue of the Russian law and contradicts democratic values. The Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence provides for registration in a special registry and the submission of reports for NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20% of their income from abroad. Fines are imposed for failure to comply with these requirements.
Mdinaradze noted that after the adoption of the new law, similar to FARA, the current law will be abolished.
