“Now it is clear why they refused to disclose their finances. It is also clear why the former U.S. ambassador was the first to label this law a ‘Russian law.’ The reason is evident,” stated Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

According to him, recent developments in the United States provide a clear explanation for why donors opposed the Transparency Law and baulked at disclosing their funding sources.

“NGOs fought against the Transparency Law and the registry to hide what the new U.S. administration has now revealed. In just a few days, an audit exposed significant corruption, waste, and detrimental practices within these projects and their finances. Naturally, they did not want this information to reach Georgia, where similar schemes could be uncovered. This explains why donors resisted disclosure—because similar revelations would likely emerge here. Other donors now face the same scrutiny and must prove that their funds were not used for the same malicious purposes exposed in the U.S.,” Papuashvili emphasized.

He also questioned the silence of NGOs in the wake of the U.S. decision.

“When we passed the Transparency Law, NGOs claimed it would force them to shut down. Now that their own donor is cutting their funds, where is their outrage? Where are their statements? If these grants truly funded positive initiatives, why hasn’t a single government, media outlet, or beneficiary spoken out in their defence? Have you seen any government express regret over the funding cuts? Even the NGOs themselves remain silent, which speaks volumes,” Papuashvili concluded.