Does the law of “foreign factors” bind the hands of the West in Georgia? – Part I

According to the international group Tasnim News, on April 15, 2024, the Georgian Dream Party re-drafted submitted laws to the Parliament of this country, bills called “transparency of foreign influence” and “registration of foreign agents”. foreign sources, must register and introduce themselves as a foreign agent or “agent under foreign influence”.

Eligible organizations will be required to register as an agent and submit annual financial statements. In case of violation, they will be fined 25 thousand lari (approximately 10 thousand dollars). The aim of the drafters of the aforementioned law is to prevent uncontrolled foreign influence on the mass media and political institutions of the country and to have a negative effect on the civil society. The legal plan for the transparency of foreign influence refers to the accountability of individuals and their criminal responsibility. This law emphasizes that every natural or legal person with foreign capital will be required to register as a “foreign representative”, and in case of non-compliance with the law, fines and imprisonment of up to five years are foreseen for the affected persons.

The Georgia Dream Party claims that the Foreign Agent Registration Bill is completely copied from the US FARA Act (passed in 1983). Foreign agents in the United States who represent the interests of foreign powers in a “political or quasi-political capacity” must disclose their relationships with the foreign government and information about their activities and financial affairs.

What do the opponents say?

But the opponents of this bill, holding European Union flags in their hands in protest The ruling Georgian Dream party is present in the streets, they consider this bill as a tool to suppress the freedom of the press and civil society. They accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party of preparing such a bill based on the Russian model and paving the way for Georgia to move towards an authoritarian system. It has been imposed on parties to discredit the West in Georgian society. They state that “this law demonizes friendly and partner countries as well as civil society that supports the West and introduces them as a hostile force that is not acceptable in any way” (in 2012). A similar law was passed in Russia, according to which institutions and media active in this country, which have been operating against the national interests of Russia with foreign funding and resources, were banned.)

On the other hand, the opponents say that the approval of this bill will lead to a sharp departure of capital from Georgia and a sharp decrease in investments in Georgian organizations that are financed by western funds and structures, and since western funds are the main share of non-profit organizations, from political to winemaking. provide Georgia, the withdrawal of financial resources will lead to the real downfall of this country’s economy.

Opponents believe that this action of the parliament is the movement of Georgia towards European structures. It slows down Azad and in the long run it will again pave the way for Russian domination over this country. In this statement, it is stated that “the machine of lies was able to portray the bill in a completely negative way in the society and mislead a large part of the people. This bill was falsely labeled as a Russian law and introduced to the people, and its approval in the parliament was called a deviation from the process of Georgia’s Europeanization”.

Where is the problem?

But why do non-governmental organizations in Georgia think that the adoption of this law will lead to the suspension of their foreign funding? If the approval of these bills does not in any way limit the receipt of western funds in the expenses of non-profit organizations and in principle does not impose any restrictions on the activity of non-governmental organizations in Georgia that are managed with western money.

1- The first and most obvious one is that other western organizations that are responsible for providing funding for non-governmental organizations active in Georgia cannot participate in the actions. to hide the widespread that they do in this country. The whole purpose of financing non-governmental organizations, whether political or those related to public activities, is to carry out hidden lobbying and gain benefits through local structures and organizations. If the list of investors and sponsors of non-governmental organizations is known not only to the government, but also to the society, the civil society will be given the ability to understand and recognize the process of the mentioned organizations. This means that the society and the government will get the understanding that what is the benefit and reason for the investment of Western structures in Georgian non-profit organizations and why are their employees paid?

2- Reason The second is that the draft law on “transparency of foreign influence” can clarify not only the list of beneficiaries, but also the amount of investment of Western structures in Georgian NGOs, as well as the cost structure of these investments. In other words, government officials can find out how much foreign money an NGO spends on lobbying (or bribing) officials. Such information in the hands of the government can seriously discredit Georgian NGOs.

Thus, as Yevgeny Primakov(Jr.), head of the agency The Russian Federation of Commonwealth of Independent States (Rossotrudnichestvo) notes that “Kontologists and civil servants and the pro-Western Georgian opposition are not defending ‘democracy’, but their right to continue receiving money from their Western owners.” they defend, so that neither the tax authorities, nor their colleagues, nor the citizens of Georgia know about the amounts received from foreign sources… In a democracy, society has the right to know whose hands and ears are behind the country’s political processes”.

Mehdi Saif Tabrizi, a researcher in Russia and the Caucasus

continues…..

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