“Georgian Dream” has introduced a legislative amendment in Parliament that transfers the enforcement of the so-called “Russian Law” (the Law “on Transparency of Foreign Influence”) to the State Audit Office.

The explanatory note states that since the Audit Office already monitors and enforces the “Foreign Agents Registration Act” (so-called FARA) and the Law on Grants, it is considered appropriate for the same agency to oversee the execution of this law as well. The authors of the amendments are “Georgian Dream” MPs: Archil Gorduladze, Tornike Cheishvili, Rati Ionatamishvili, Aluda Ghudushauri, Davit Matikashvili, Guram Macharashvili, Akaki Aladashvili, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, and Aleksandre Tabatadze.

The so-called “Russian Law,” originally initiated in 2023, requires civil society organizations and independent media with Western funding to register in a special registry. Critics refer to it as the “Russian Law” due to its similarity to the “foreign agents” legislation in effect in Russia. The bill sparked large-scale protests in Georgia and drew international criticism, leading to its suspension in 2023. However, in April 2024, the ruling party reintroduced the project to Parliament and officially passed it on May 28, 2024, after overriding a presidential veto.

The law mandates that organizations with foreign funding submit annual financial declarations and provides for sanctions in cases of non-compliance. This law has served as the foundation for a series of subsequent repressive legislative changes aimed at suppressing critical voices and restricting the activities of civil society and independent media in the country.