The Georgian parliament voted on Tuesday, May 28th to override a presidential veto of its foreign interference law that has caused domestic tension—and also upset the European Union and the United States.
The bill, which is set to be signed into law within a few days, has been criticised for resembling a similar Russian law. However, its critics fail to mention almost identical EU and French attempts to monitor foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The reason for the attacks against Georgia could be that the country’s ruling party is strongly opposed to migration and gender ideology—and espouses Christian values.
According to the new law, NGOs and media outlets receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad would have to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power,” and provide more detailed reports on their finances and activities, with fines for those who do not obey.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, an ally of the opposition parties, said the government has chosen “Russian slavery”, and encouraged people to vote against them in October’s elections. There have been a series of demonstrations against the government because of the bill.
Similar laws exist elsewhere. The United States has the so-called Foreign Agents Registration Act, a law which imposes public disclosure obligations on persons representing foreign interests. The Russian foreign agent law requires anyone who receives support from outside Russia to register and declare themselves as foreign agents. The parliament in France recently adopted a bill to counter foreign interference, including making it compulsory for lobbyists who act on behalf of foreign governments, state-controlled companies, and political parties to sign up to a registry. Hungary passed the so-called ‘Sovereignty Protection Law’ last December to defend the country against undue political interference by foreign persons or groups.
Meanwhile, the European Commission adopted its so-called Defence of Democracy package last year, which would oblige groups working for non-EU foreign countries to register in a transparency register, and publicly state how much they receive, which countries they are supported by, and what their main goals are.
Despite the clear similarities between these laws, it has been the anti-globalist governments of Hungary and Georgia that have had to endure attacks for their bills. In particular, they have been likened to Russia’s foreign agent law, that allows the Kremlin to crack down on critical news media, nonprofits, and activists. The United States has threatened to sanction Georgian officials who voted for the bill. The EU said it “deeply regrets” the vote and was “considering all options to react to these developments.”
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili responded to the European criticism, by saying:
If non-profit organisations in Georgia are to engage in decision making at all levels and enjoy influence over public life, they must provide basic standard of transparency—the population must know who stands behind any actor. This is true to state institutions, this is true to political parties, this is true to civil servants, and this must be true to non-profit organisations too.
He alluded to similar laws in other western countries, and accused the European Endowment for Democracy, an EU-funded NGO of “fuelling polarisation, funding political parties and radical groups” in Georgia. He emphasised that the law is compatible with international human rights and imposes no restriction on foreign funding, but “will raise the level of responsibility and accountability” of NGOs and their donors.
Georgia, which has a population of 3.7 million, lies in the Caucasus region and is bordered by Russia, has been one of the staunchest pro-EU countries in eastern Europe since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It applied for EU membership two years ago, and was granted candidate status in December of last year. Eighty percent of Georgians support EU accession.
However, Georgian Dream, the party that has ruled the country for the past 12 years made the “mistake” of pursuing more pragmatic relations with Russia. According to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, this is aimed at “avoiding harm to Georgia and its citizens.”
The party has been criticised for being “pro-Russian” for not imposing sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, and for accusing western countries of attempting to drag Georgia into the war. Despite the criticism, Georgian Dream has not restored official diplomatic ties with Russia, which were broken after the 16-day war between the two countries in 2008. The war was fought over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia which Russia controls.
Georgian Dream has also drawn the ire of its Western allies for refusing to give in to liberal ideology, putting the party on a platform with Viktor Orbán’s government in Hungary. Georgian Dream initiated a draft of constitutional amendments that prohibit the legalisation of same-sex civil partnership, the adoption of children by same-sex couples, gender reassignment, and the promotion of same-sex relationships. Irakli Kobakhidze has also spoken out against illegal immigration, and vowed to protect Christian values in Georgia.
At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) organised by Hungary at the end of April, he said:
The so-called liberals are presently putting at risk the identity of countries and nations around the world. … Uncontrolled migration poses the greatest threat to the national identity of European countries. If the processes continue at the current pace, the local population in many European countries will very soon be a minority.
The so-called liberals fight against Christianity with particular enthusiasm. The only difference between the so-called liberals and the Bolsheviks is that the latter used the sledgehammer as their main weapon in the fight against religion, while the liberals fight against Christianity with propaganda, which, under the conditions of total control of the media, has much stronger power than the sledgehammer.
