Georgia Dream Introduces Criminal Liability for Non-Compliance with Foreign Agents Registration Act
New amendments have been introduced to Article 355² of the Criminal Code of Georgia concerning violations of the Law of Georgia “Foreign Agents Registration Act.” According to the proposed amendments, “Failure to fulfill or improper fulfillment of an obligation established by the Law of Georgia “Foreign Agents Registration Act” shall be punishable by a fine or imprisonment for a term of up to five years”. The exact amount of the fine has not yet been determined. The “Foreign Agents Registration Act” bill was introduced in the GD parliament earlier this week.
According to the explanatory note on the draft law, the introduction of criminal liability is intended to ensure effective enforcement of the obligations imposed by the Foreign Agents Registration Act by introducing “appropriate liability” for non-compliance or improper compliance.
The Georgian Dream (GD) party has registered a new legislative initiative entitled the “Foreign Agents Registration Act,” which was submitted to the Legal Affairs Committee for consideration on February 24.
The law is an exact copy of the currently effective U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), maintaining the same wording, including references to bodies such as Congress, the Library of Congress, the State Department, and the Department of Justice, etc. However, as Aleksandre Tabatadze, Head of the GD Parliament’s Legal Department, stated: “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, so it will be changed to fit the Georgian reality.”
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
- 11/04/2024 – US FARA vs. Georgian Foreign Agents Law: Three Major Differences
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