Georgia is sliding towards autocracy after government moves to force through bill on ‘foreign agents’

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The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being “under foreign influence” if they receive funding from abroad.

Metadata

Provider:

The Conversation

URL:

https://theconversation.com/georgia-is-sliding-towards-autocracy-after-government-moves-to-force-through-bill-on-foreign-agents-228219

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Information

Tags:

Democracy, National Democratic Institute, Survival, Attack, Non-governmental organization, International development, LGBTQ, Kremlin, Family, Human

Geotags:

GEORGIA, UGANDA, UKRAINE, EU, ETHIOPIA, CAMBODIA, INDIA, CHINA, KYRGYZSTAN, HUNGARY, RUSSIA

Summary

Key Points:

The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being “under foreign influence” if they receive funding from abroad.
This type of funding is a lifeline for most non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on human rights as they often receive scant domestic support.
The Georgian government, which is led by the Russian-leaning Georgian Dream Party, was forced to withdraw its bill after mass protests broke out.

Foreign agents law

From November 2012, any NGO that received foreign funding and engaged in political activities would have to self-report as a “foreign agent”.
These laws became even tougher in 2014 when the justice ministry was given the power to register groups as foreign agents without their consent.
Under the leadership of Viktor Orban, Hungary passed its first foreign agent law in 2017 – a huge blow for its own democracy.
Hungary has more recently passed a new sovereignty protection law, creating an investigative body with sweeping powers to gather information on groups or individuals that receive foreign funding and may try to influence public debate.

Abandoning democracy

Georgia’s former president and current de facto leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has tried to play on people’s fears that western-style democracy brings challenges to the traditional family, arguing that the country must rid itself of values alien to Georgia.
This is in line with the Kremlin’s crackdown on LGBTQ people, particularly since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Georgians are also becoming increasingly dismayed that the ruling party is abandoning even a minimal commitment to democracy.
Though these laws are passed in defence of sovereignty, they represent a clear assault on democracy.

Natasha Lindstaedt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.