GD Registers “Exact Copy” of FARA in Parliament
The Georgian Dream (GD) party has registered a new legislative initiative entitled “Foreign Agents Registration Act”, which has been referred to the Legal Affairs Committee for consideration. GD majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze previously described the bill as an “exact copy” of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). According to a press release from the GD parliament, the legislation is a “Georgian translation” of the U.S. law currently in effect.
“With the introduction of this legislative initiative, any false narrative that was spread internally or externally regarding Georgian laws has come to an end,” said GD Speaker Shalva Papuashvili. “Accordingly, any speculation that the Georgian Parliament will adopt a law that does not comply with international standards will come to an end.”
The law has apparently been translated to the letter and includes US-specific terms such as “Congress”, “the Library of Congress”, “the State Department”, “the President of the United States”, etc.
Aleksande Tabatadze, Head of the GD Parliament’s Legal Department, said “The state bodies and officials involved in the law enforcement process, which are envisaged for this law in the USA, are somewhat incompatible with the Georgian reality. For example, the body mentioned in the bill: Congress, the Library of Congress, the State Department, the Department of Justice, the Secretary of the Treasury, the President of the States, etc.”
Archil Gorduladze, chairman of the GD Parliament’s Legal Committee, noted that amendments would be needed to designate the bodies responsible for implementing the law in accordance with Georgia’s realities.
The Foreign Agents Law was previously introduced into the Georgian Parliament on two separate occasions. In 2023, GD withdrew the bill after significant public protests and political opposition. However, in the spring of 2024, GD reintroduced and adopted the law despite widespread protests, which led to excessive use of force against demonstrators.
In February 2023, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze had commented that the Foreign Agents’ draft law initiated by “People’s Power,” adhered to human rights standards and differed from both American and Russian laws by providing a “minimum standard of transparency.”
Interestingly, back in 2023, when GD first introduced the Foreign Agents’ law, Irakli Kobakhidze called the American FARA a “complete disaster”: “I can tell you directly, as a lawyer and human rights specialist, that the American law is a complete disaster. We would definitely not tolerate the adoption of such a law in the Georgian Parliament.”
Also Read:
- 03/02/2025 – GD Announces More Repressive Legislative Changes
- 17/05/2024 – Adopted “Agents Law” Differs from the Original, Foresees Personal Fines – Experts
- 17/04/2024 – International Reactions to Reintroduction of Draft Law on Foreign Agents
- 11/04/2024 – US FARA vs. Georgian Foreign Agents Law: Three Major Differences
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