In 2023 and 2024, a series of street demonstrations took place throughout Georgia largely in opposition to the proposed "Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence", which would require non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to register as foreign agents or "organizations carrying the interests of a foreign power" and disclose the sources of their income if the funds they receive from abroad amount to more than 20% of their total revenue.
The central objection of the protesters was that the law would restrict the Western funding to the non-governmental organizations in Georgia and "alienate" Georgia from the "Western allies". Other critics, including the European Union and other Western countries, stated that the law would stifle civil society and freedom of press in Georgia. They called the law "Russian-style" and "authoritarian". In October 2024, NGOs and media organisations lodged a legal case against the law in the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the law violates six articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. Proponents of the law criticized the unrestricted foreign funding of the local non-governmental organizations, saying that the law would protect the country's sovereignty and promote transparency and accountability of foreign influence. They also said that the law would apply to both the Russian and Western funding, and have criticized the foreign interference in the internal affairs of Georgia.
Background
Political context
As of January 2021, Georgia and Ukraine were preparing to formally apply for EU membership in 2024 to join the European Union in the 2030s. Amid the 2022 escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova jointly applied for EU membership in February and March 2022. On 23 June 2022, the European Council granted Ukraine and Moldova the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union. It deferred candidate status for Georgia until certain conditions were met. The European Council expressed readiness to grant Georgia the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union after a set of recommended reforms.
The European Parliament adopted three non-binding resolutions criticizing Georgia. On 9 June 2022, the European Parliament issued a six-page resolution accusing the government of Georgia of eroding press freedom in the country. It also recommended the European Council to sanction the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili for "his role in the deterioration of the political process in Georgia".
On 14 December 2022, the European Parliament again called the European Council to sanction Ivanishvili, accusing him of deteriorating the democratic political process in Georgia, while also calling the Georgian government to immediately release the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili on medical grounds to be treated in a special institution abroad.
After the end of his presidency and his departure from Georgia, Saakashvili was sentenced in absentia in 2018 by the Tbilisi City Court for abuse of power, embezzlement and his implication in the beating of opposition MP Valery Gelashvili. A day prior to the October 2021 local elections, Saakashvili arrived clandestinely in Georgia from Ukraine, calling his supporters to gather in the capital after the elections, where he would join them. However, the same day his location was revealed by the police and he was arrested. In detention he began a hunger strike that lasted for 50 days, causing his health to deteriorate.
The third resolution of the European Parliament irking Georgian Dream was passed on 14 February 2023, in which the Georgian government and Bidzina Ivanishvili were accused of mistreating Saakashvili in prison, once again calling for his release from prison and personal sanctions on Ivanishvili. The Georgian Dream party criticized the resolutions. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili called them "irresponsible and offensive towards our people". Georgian Dream parliamentarian Dimitri Khundadze questioned Georgia's policy of EU membership, saying, "We won't give up our dignity to get [candidate] status! [...] No one will intimidate Bidzina Ivanishvili or the Georgian state with threats of sanctions!".
Following the EU's decision to set twelve conditions for Georgia in order to obtain the candidate status, a series of protests was organized in June–July 2022 by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Shame Movement. The organizers blamed the Georgian government for the failure to secure EU candidate status for the country and called for its resignation, to be replaced with a technical interim government of "national accord" to implement the conditions set by the EU in order to get candidate status. The opposition welcomed this proposal, while Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili criticised the demand, saying "democracy does not work this way". He elaborated that the formation of a technical government was "nothing but a desire to seize power by bypassing democratic procedures".
On 2 August 2022, MPs Sozar Subari, Mikheil Kavelashvili, Dimitri Khundadze and Guram Macharashvili left ruling Georgian Dream and established the People's Power movement. In October 2022 another five Georgian Dream MPs joined the movement, depriving the ruling party of its parliamentary majority. At the same time the People's Power faction in parliament supported the government led by prime minister Irakli Garibashvili. Georgian Dream chairperson Irakli Kobakhidze pledged to cooperate with People's Power on key issues.
According to People's Power, their goal was to speak up and expose the truth "hidden behind the scenes of Georgian politics". The group published a number of public letters accusing the United States and European Union of trying to overthrow the Georgian government. It questioned American funding to Georgia, saying that the funding was largely directed to NGOs to promote American agenda under the guise of "strengthening democracy", while this practice was actually contradicting the principles of democracy and popular sovereignty. People's Power described a number of Georgian NGOs and political parties, including the Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement, as "American agents", while accusing EU and USA of trying to blackmail Georgia with the EU candidate status to free Saakashvili after a failed coup attempt.
The People's Power movement also accused the US and EU of interfering in the country's internal affairs by undermining the Georgian judiciary. Judicial reforms were among the twelve conditions set by the EU for Georgia to get the candidate status, although according to People's Power, the proposal was aimed at "subjugating the Georgian judiciary to foreign control". In September 2022, the ruling Georgian Dream party contested the credibility of influential NGOs such as Transparency International and ISFED, saying that they aligned with the opposition and violated the political neutrality by demanding the formation of technical government, with the chairman of ruling party Irakli Kobakhidze questioning the transparency of their foreign funding.
On 29 December 2022, the People's Power movement expressed its intention to draft a foreign agent law to curb the alleged foreign influence in the country. On 15 February 2023, the draft "Law On Transparency of Foreign Influence" was submitted to Georgian Parliament.
Foreign agent bill
Under the bill, non-commercial legal entities (the most common form of NGO in Georgia), broadcasters, legal entities that alone or jointly own a print media outlet operating in Georgia, and legal entities that own or use, jointly or with others, an internet domain and/or internet hosting intended for the dissemination of information through the internet in the Georgian language, must register as "agents of foreign influence". All such publicly registered organizations are subject to monitoring by the Ministry of Justice if they receive more than 20% of their annual income from "a foreign power". The draft law requires NGOs to disclose the source of their funds but does not imposes any restriction on their activities. The Georgian Dream supported the bill, saying that it would promote the financial transparency of foreign-funded NGOs.
Georgian Dream and People's Power movement claimed the bill was based on the "American model", referring to the Foreign Agents Registration Act in the United States. However, this comparison was dismissed as incorrect. The fundamental difference between the laws is that the US law does not target NGOs, but individuals who are employed by foreign governments. Responding to the criticism, on 21 February 2023 the People's Power registered alternative bill 'On the Registration of Foreign Agents Act', a verbatim translation of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Georgian civil society organizations objected to the bill as a violation of fundamental human rights such as freedom of press. The bill represented an authoritarian shift and could have hurt Georgia's hopes of European Union membership, critics said. More than 60 civil society organizations and media outlets announced they would not comply with the bill if it is signed into law.
Georgian Dream chair and MP Irakli Kobakhidze stated in February 2023 that Parliament would send the bill to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, expressing confidence the commission would have a positive assessment of the law.
One version of the law became effective on 1 August 2024. On 17 October 2024, a legal case against the bill was lodged in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) by 16 media organisations, 120 NGOs and four individuals, arguing that the law violates several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR): Article 8 on privacy, Article 10 on freedom of expression, Article 11 on freedom of assembly and association, Article 13 on the right to an effective remedy for rights violations, Article 14 on discrimination, and Article 18 on limits on state restrictions of rights. A later version of the bill took formal effect as a law on 31 May 2025. The ECtHR declared the case to be admissible for all six ECHR articles of the application. In September 2025, the NGOs and media organisations submitted updated documentation to the ECtHR about effects of the foreign agents law, which Rights Georgia refers to as the "Russian Law".
Protests
2023
On 6 March 2023, a fight broke out between parliamentary deputies of the ruling coalition and the opposition during the Legal Affairs Committee hearing on the draft laws. Deputies from the National Movement and Strategy Aghmashenebeli opposition parties were expelled from the chamber to restore the order. The protests were held in front of the Parliament building calling the deputies to vote down the bills.
On 7 March 2023, the parliament adopted a proposed "Law On Transparency of Foreign Influence" in the first reading, with 76 votes to 13. The protests were organized in front of the Parliament of Georgia, which later turned violent as the protesters tried to storm the building and threw Molotov cocktails at police. Police officers responded by using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters and restore the order. Georgia's Interior Ministry asked protesters to disperse, warning that "legal measures" would be taken to restore calm. The ministry reportedly said the protest went beyond the framework of a peaceful assembly and turned into violence. The ministry also said that police were also forced to use proportional force to restore public order.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili reaffirmed his support for the law, saying the proposed provisions on foreign agents met "European and global standards". Meanwhile, President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili, threw her support behind the protesters, saying "the path of European integration must be protected". She has said she would veto and repeal the bill.
On 8 March 2023, tens of thousands of people protested in front of the parliament building, calling the parliament to suspend further discussions on the foreign agents law. Strategy Aghmashenebeli leader Giorgi Vashadze presented an ultimatum to parliament: reject the bills and release everyone who was detained on 7 March.
On 9 March 2023, the ruling coalition announced that they would retract the bills. They said that more discussions with the public were required to convince the society of the importance of the legislation. The Interior Ministry announced later that day that everyone arrested on administrative charges on 7 and 8 March have been released.
On 10 March 2023, one of the two bills was withdrawn by the ruling coalition, while the other was defeated in a formal second sitting vote in Parliament, with one vote in favour, 36 votes against, and 76 abstentions.
2024
April
On 3 April 2024, the Georgian Dream (GD) party announced plans to bring back the bill, with a term "foreign agent" replaced with "organization carrying the interests of a foreign power". The leader of parliamentary majority Mamuka Mdinaradze said that the reason for reintroduction of the bill was the continued circulation of slush funds, he also said that the bill would target all foreign sources, including Russian. On 8 April, the Bureau of Parliament of Georgia registered the bill for the parliamentary discussions.