Helsinki Commission on Monday said, “the proposed foreign agent law in Georgia is an assault on the country’s weakening democracy, a deliberate gift to Russia, and a direct challenge to the Georgian people’s consistent Euro-Atlantic choice.”

It added that the draft bill “does not resemble FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) in any way.”

Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee earlier today backed the People’s Power-tabled draft bills on Transparency of Foreign Influence and Registration of Foreign Agents in the first reading.

For the record, after receiving more than 20% of a certain revenue from abroad, the proposed law on Transparency of Foreign Influence deems media outlets and non-commercial, non-entrepreneurial legal organizations to be agents of foreign influence.

Any natural or legal person that gets funds from abroad would be required to register as a foreign agent, according to the draft bill on the Registration of Foreign Agents. Failing to do so will result in five years of imprisonment.

The proposed foreign agent law in #Georgia is an assault on the country’s weakening democracy, a deliberate gift to #Russia, and a direct challenge to the Georgian people’s consistent Euro-Atlantic choice. It does not resemble #FARA in any way. pic.twitter.com/6NUPBdDiZg

— Helsinki Commission (@HelsinkiComm) March 6, 2023