The law contradicts everything that the Georgian state has lived by for years. Of course, we will use every mechanism to prevent it from coming into force," said Ucha Nanuashvili, head of the Democracy Research Center and former Public Defender, commenting on the initiation of the FARA law by Georgian Dream.
Speaking on PalitraNews' program Resume, he noted that the goal of the new law's initiation is to intimidate organizations so that they themselves decide to cease operations.
"The fact that the need to pass this law has arisen for the third time speaks volumes. The law has already been passed in two readings, though under a different name. In 2024, when we called it the 'Russian law,' the government insisted it was American. If they adopted 'FARA' in 2024, then what law are they trying to pass this year? It turns out that the government was lying back then. Unfortunately, they are still lying today when they claim they want to adopt the American law.
The fact that the 'Russian law' could not be enforced last year should make the government think about why this is happening. The law contradicts everything the Georgian state has stood for over the years. Naturally, we will use every possible mechanism to prevent its enactment.
The purpose of initiating this law is to intimidate as many people as possible who fall within its scope. The law adopted in 2024 yielded no results; on the contrary, it even cost the government the reputation it had in the West.
Its goal is to intimidate organizations so that they voluntarily give up their activities," Nanuashvili said.
Additionally, he emphasized that if the law comes into force, it will affect many individuals and organizations.
"There is a direct provision stating that it does not only apply to NGOs or the media—it applies to all kinds of associations, corporations, initiatives, and business organizations. It is crucial that everyone has a clear understanding of where this law is heading," Nanuashvili said.
