Georgia - April 2024

In the face of major street protests in Tbilisi and international criticism, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party returned the ‘foreign agents’ bill to parliament in late April and passed it on the third reading on 14 May. The law requires any civic organisations that receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as ‘organisations carrying the interests of a foreign power’ and includes significant fines for noncompliance. Protesters and opposition groups argued the law is designed to undermine Georgia’s EU accession and move it into Russia’s sphere of influence, while the government insists it is necessary to protect Georgia’s political sovereignty. The European Commission has said it previously informed GD officials that passing the bill would result in a suspension of Georgia’s EU accession processes. The bill was previously introduced and removed in March 2023 after similar protests and significant Western criticism. Over 100 protesters have been arrested, reports of police brutality have been common, and critics of the government have been attacked by unknown assailants outside their homes. Georgian Dream has a sufficient majority to override President Salome Zourabichvili’s planned veto and has stated it intends to do so.    

Sources: Eurasianet, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, OC Media, International IDEA, Financial Times