A bill modeled after the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) is one step closer to becoming law in Georgia, sparking concerns that the government will use it to suppress independent media and civil society.
On Tuesday, Georgia’s parliament, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party, approved the bill in its second reading. The legislation closely mirrors FARA, a U.S. transparency law requiring individuals and entities acting on behalf of foreign principals to disclose their funding and activities.
According to the Georgian government, the bill is necessary to enforce compliance with an existing law that requires non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets receiving foreign funding to register as foreign agents.Â
That law, passed in 2024, has prompted protests and has faced widespread defiance, with many organizations refusing to register. Opponents have compared it to a similar law in Russia that has silenced opposition voices almost completely.Â
The latest measure comes amid an ongoing government crackdown on mass anti-government protests that erupted in November after Georgia postponed EU membership talks until 2028. Authorities have accused civil society groups of instigating unrest.
Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili defended the bill by pointing to its American precedent. "If they have complaints, they should criticize America," he said in February. However, legal experts argue that the comparison is misleading.
“This new law is American only in name,” said Saba Brachveli, a lawyer with the Tbilisi-based Civil Society Foundation. It lacks the legal safeguards and nonpartisan enforcement that exist in the U.S. Instead, it enables swift and severe crackdowns, he explained.
Unlike the existing foreign agents law, which critics say allows for a slow and bureaucratic suppression of civil society, the new legislation introduces stricter enforcement mechanisms. Individuals, not just organizations, could be targeted under the law, and those failing to comply could face up to five years in prison.
Legal expert Nika Simonishvili highlighted the political context in which the law is being adopted. This will be enforced by institutions directly controlled by the ruling party, making any comparisons to U.S. law meaningless, he said.
While FARA in the U.S. primarily applies to lobbyists, Georgian Dream appears to be using it to curb foreign-funded NGOs and independent media. A report from the Tbilisi-based Social Justice Center warned that the law could be "politically motivated" and used to target government critics.
Ben Freeman, a foreign influence expert at the U.S.-based Quincy Institute, said the ambiguity of FARA has led to "politicized enforcement" even in the U.S. He warned that in Georgia, “where you see wide scale repression and a somewhat authoritarian-leaning government that seems keen on stifling descent,” the law could be easily abused.Â
He said he could foresee the Georgian government using FARA against U.S. government-funded media outlets operating in Georgia.
The bill’s introduction follows a series of developments that have emboldened Georgian Dream. The party has cited recent U.S. political moves, including President Donald Trump’s suspension of foreign aid, as justification for its crackdown on foreign funding.
Media freedom groups have strongly condemned the bill. On March 10, a coalition including the International Press Institute and the European Federation of Journalists urged the government to withdraw the legislation, citing Georgia’s lack of judicial independence. They also called on Tbilisi to “halt the broader crackdown on journalism and civil society.”Â
The Georgian government has recently introduced additional measures targeting the press, including a proposed law that would restrict foreign-funded broadcasters and impose new content regulations. Transparency International Georgia has warned that the bill could “destroy” TV channels critical of the government.
