Foreign agents law comes into force in Georgia

The Foreign Agents Registration Act, an exact analogue of the American Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), came into force in Georgia on May 31, according to the Legislative Gazette, where regulatory acts are published.

The parliament passed the law in its third and final reading on April 1. Unlike last year's "Transparency of Foreign Influence" law, which was adopted amid mass protests, the Georgian equivalent of the FARA provides for imprisonment of up to 5 years and applies to both organizations and individuals.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau will monitor compliance with the new law. According to it, an individual or an organization is considered a foreign agent if their activities in Georgia serve the interests of a foreign state and are financed from abroad. The law applies to the media in particular.

Those subject to the law must submit an application to the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau within 10 days of becoming aware of their activities as foreign agents.

According to the initiators of the law, the law passed last year was not properly enforced. The new law aims to bolster efforts to combat organizations that receive foreign funding and attempt to destabilize the country.

Georgian authorities have repeatedly stated that there have been attempted revolutions in which NGOs receiving foreign funding played an important role.