"Empty sheet of paper"

Georgian NGOs want to ignore “Russian law”

For months, people in Georgia took to the streets en masse to demonstrate against the law.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Vano SHLAMOV)

Now that the law on "foreign influence operations" in Georgia has finally been sealed, around 200 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have declared their intention to ignore the new rules. The law "will not work and will remain a blank sheet of paper that no one will obey", the NGOs declared on Wednesday.

According to representatives of several NGOs who signed the joint declaration, they expect their assets in Georgia to be frozen after the law comes into force and their work to be hindered. Their declaration also states that the law jeopardizes the observation of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia in October. However, the organizations announced that they would defend "the elections and the voice of every voter".

Ruling party went ahead with its plan
Despite ongoing international protests and mass demonstrations across the country, the Georgian parliament finally passed the controversial law with the votes of the ruling Georgian Dream party, overriding a veto by President Salome Zurabishvili.

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Thousands of people then took to the streets again in the capital Tbilisi to protest against the law. Representatives of the EU and numerous Western countries, including Germany and the USA, strongly condemned the passing of the law. There were also warnings that the law would significantly reduce Georgia's chances of EU membership.

NGOs with funding from abroad under scrutiny
The regulations stipulate that organizations and media that receive at least 20 percent of their funding from abroad must register in Georgia as bodies that "pursue the interests of foreign powers". They will also have to submit to monitoring by the authorities.

Tens of thousands of people in the country have been taking to the streets for weeks to protest against the legislative plans and for a European perspective for Georgia. Critics see clear parallels in the law to the law against "foreign agents" passed in Russia in 2012, which enables the authorities there to take massive action against media and organizations critical of the government. In 2023, the Georgian government initially withdrew a similar bill following mass protests - but then tried again in April.