In a move that drew condemnation across the West and sparked mass protests in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, the Georgian parliament passed a bill March 7 that would force nongovernmental organizations, civil society groups and independent media operating in the country to register as “foreign agents.”
The designation carries social and legal repercussions, and the law would grant the Georgian Ministry of Justice free rein to surveil such groups.
Facing immediate bidirectional opposition — from the European Union and domestic groups — the Georgian government withdrew the law just days after the protests began.
“In reality, the law is all about silencing civil society and the media by obliging them to register as agents of foreign influence,” said Mariam Tsitsikashvili, a research fellow at GRASS Georgia, a civil society group, adding that Georgian members of parliament used the conversation to smear all Georgian nongovernmental organizations as serving exclusively foreign — not national — interests.
The Georgian government has previously targeted both FactCheck Georgia and Myth Detector — media organizations and verified signatories to the International Fact-Checking Network. Last year, the chairman of ruling party Georgian Dream accused FactCheck Georgia of being politically biased and foreign-funded. Government-affiliated TV channels ran with it, publishing multiple stories about the claim over several months.
The “foreign agents” proposal also conferred administrative and financial pressures on NGOs and media, “which could be another way to pressure us or force us to reduce operations or close,” Tsitkashvili said.
“The news was indeed disturbing for the members of our organization,” said Tamar Kintsurashvili, executive director of Media Development Foundation, a Georgia-based civil society organization, and editor-in-chief of Myth Detector, its fact-checking arm. “Notably, there is already an ongoing campaign against fact-checkers in Georgia, labeling them as censors that restrict the freedom of speech and expression of the general public. The initiative to label our organization as an ‘agent of foreign’ influence would put additional pressure on us.”
The draft law would force organizations that received more than 20% of their income from foreign sources as “agents of influence” — which would amplify the stigma against civil society organizations — the law would also allow the Ministry of Justice to “search for necessary information including personal data” to verify submitted information.
“This section of the bill was particularly alarming as the law would enable anonymous sources to submit requests to examine specific organizations,“ Kintsurashvili said, adding that the vast majority of civil society organizations decided to not register, as it would accelerate the “demonization” of civil society.
When the law was retracted, media organizations reacted with cautious optimism.
“Although we are now genuinely happy that the attack on Georgia’s constitution and on Georgian media and (civil society organization) sector has been pushed back, the bigger picture and political environment continue to be worrisome,” said Tsitsikashvili.
The group that initially authored the bill, People’s Power, has also advocated for a fake news law, which has alarmed civil society groups.
“It could have similar, if not more severe consequences for Georgian statehood and democracy,” Kintsurashvili said.
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