Rights group urges Georgia to reject new proposal of ‘foreign agent’ bill News
Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rights group urges Georgia to reject new proposal of ‘foreign agent’ bill

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Georgian Parliament on Wednesday to reject the new “foreign agents” bill.

Europe and Central Asia director at HRW Hugh Williamson argued that if the bill passes, “it could spell the end of Georgia’s independent civil society”. Besides posing problems for independent civil society in Georgia, HRW believes the government is “plunging Georgia ever deeper into a human rights crisis.” Williamson said that activists and groups will have “the false choice of accepting the unfounded and stigmatizing label of foreign agent, facing prison or exile, or abandoning their work altogether”. HRW claims Georgia ought to scrap the bill to ensure respect for human rights.

The proposed ‘foreign agent’ bill introduces strict measures forcing individuals and entities to register as under the influence of a foreign principal while engaging in political activities for the interests of that foreign agent. These individuals and entities must submit annual financial declarations and mark their public statements as “coming from a foreign agent”. Sanctions amount to fines up to €8,250 ($8,886) and five years in prison.

The bill is set to impose stricter sanctions than the controversial “foreign agent” law adopted in 2024. The bill is a response to the failure of several civil society organizations to register under previous laws. These restrictions could amount to human rights violations within the European framework. For instance, possible violations of the rights to freedom of expression and association protected under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The ‘foreign agent’ law was already criticized both by the Council of Europe and the UN for violating human rights.

As the new bill awaits approval, the Georgian Parliament has introduced more restricting legislative amendments. HRW argues these amendments are set to oppress peaceful protesters. In 2024, following the ‘foreign agent’ law’s adoption, human rights groups condemned the use of force and harsh sanctions against protestors.

With this proposal, Georgia distances itself more from the European sphere. European Commission vice president Kaja Kallas and EU commissioner for enlargement Marta Kos recently stated that these legislative proposals demonstrate a “serious setback for Georgia’s democratic development and falls short of any expectations of an EU candidate country.” This also follows the Georgian Dream Party’s decision not to pursue the opening of EU accession in December 2024.

The proposal is set to be voted on in the Georgian Parliament during the week of March 31, 2025.

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