What's happening in Georgia

The last few years have been politically turbulent in Georgia. This April, the governing party registered the Law on Foreign Influence Transparency, which they tried to implement last year but were forced to withdraw due to mass protests. The new law would require non-profit entities receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “organizations pursuing the interest of a foreign influence,” with tough penalties for noncompliance of up to €10,000.

In 2012, Russia adopted the first Law on Foreign Influence in the region. Following that, the law was constantly adapted and expanded, leading to the destruction of media outlets and critical civil society organizations.

Large numbers of young people have been gathering and blocking Rustaveli Avenue (where the Georgian parliament is located) for the past several weeks, protesting the draft law under the slogan “No To Russian Law, Yes to Europe!” Georgia was granted EU candidacy last December. According to Nabila Massrali, the spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, “the implementation of the Foreign Influence Transparency draft law would be inconsistent with these aspirations and with EU norms and values.”

© Mariam Nikuradze / OC Media