Georgia Faces OSCE Scrutiny Over Crackdown on Civil Society

Georgia Faces OSCE Scrutiny Over Crackdown on Civil Society

Executive Summary:

• Twenty-four countries activated the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism on January 29 in response to the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia.
• Georgian officials have rejected international criticism and accelerated restrictive legislation on foreign funding, defining political activity to include journalism and online content, while imposing severe criminal penalties that threaten non-governmental organizations, media, experts, and ordinary citizens.
• These measures are framed as protecting sovereignty and preventing foreign interference. They are expected to intensify scrutiny from the OSCE and European Union, deepen Georgia’s democratic backsliding, and increase risks of criminalizing civil society and independent political life.

On January 29, 24 countries—including the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and others—activated the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism in response to the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia (Government of the United Kingdom, January 29). The Moscow Mechanism is an OSCE tool that allows a group of participating states to establish an independent expert mission. The mission is expected to travel to Georgia, collect facts, objectively assess the situation, and prepare a report with conclusions and recommendations. This development is highly unwelcome for the country’s ruling Georgian Dream party. The country is now being grouped with authoritarian states such as Russia, Turkmenistan, and Belarus, against which this mechanism has been used in the past. There are concerns that a negative assessment by the mission could serve as a pretext for imposing large-scale sanctions against the ruling elite.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze reacted to the activation of the Moscow Mechanism, stating:

For all these years, an unfair campaign has been waged against Georgia and the Georgian people, and this is its continuation. Here, you can see that the initiators of this initiative are countries that are unfavorably disposed toward our people. It is very regrettable, but we maintain a one-sided friendship with these countries. This is a continuation of the same line, so it does not interest us (Tvpirveli.ge, January 31). 

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili reacted more sharply. He said, “Let them activate whatever mechanism they want. Go ahead … When have we ever been afraid of some inspector?” (Facebook/GeorgianDreamOfficial/, January 29).

The U.K. Foreign Office issued a statement saying it is “watching the human rights situation in Georgia with attention and growing concern” (Government of the United Kingdom; Facebook/ukingeorgia, January 29). OSCE countries are particularly concerned about developments following Georgia’s adoption of repressive laws such as the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence” (2024) and the “Law on Registration of Foreign Agents” (2025) (see EDM, April 24, May 22, 2024; Legislative Herald of Georgia, May 28, 2024; Parliament of Georgia, February 19, 2025).  

Instead of revising the controversial legislation, on January 28, Georgia’s parliamentary majority announced the expedited initiation of amendments to the Grants Law. This law effectively bans political activity for many Georgians (Facebook/GeorgianDreamOfficial, January 30). Under the proposed amendments, individuals engaged in political activity would not be able to receive any financial compensation from abroad. Political activity is now defined not only as participating in politics or membership in a political party, but also as journalistic and expert work, as well as the production of podcasts, blogs, and other materials. Additionally, grants would now include not only financial support but also technical or expert assistance received from abroad. The bill also bans political activity by Georgian entrepreneurs, effectively limiting their freedom of speech and ability to express opinions. According to Kobakhidze, anyone who prepares or distributes political content should not receive foreign funding, as this would be considered interference in Georgia’s internal affairs and a threat to its sovereignty (Formulanews.ge, January 30).

The introduction of the Grants Law also tightens the Criminal Code of Georgia and the Law on Political Parties of Georgia. Violations of the rules established by the Grants Law now carry serious criminal liability—such violations may result in a fine, community service of 300 to 500 hours, or imprisonment for six to nine years (Facebook/GeorgianDreamOfficial, January 30). Georgian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) fear that, in practice, the new law could affect any citizen who receives financial, material, or even intellectual assistance from abroad. Such a person may be considered a potential threat to the authorities and the ruling elite. It is assumed that any active citizens of the country now face the threat of criminal liability, including professors, experts, journalists, and ordinary bloggers who publish their political opinions on social media (Facebook/tigeorgia, January 30). Imprisonment for up to six years threatens Georgian citizens who make financial or other payments to individuals or legal entities in other countries for external lobbying (Facebook/GeorgianDreamOfficial, January 30).

Regarding the amendments to the Law on Political Parties, the conditions for barring individuals from political activity have been expanded. In particular, the law states, “A person employed under a labor contract by an organization whose annual income exceeds 20 percent from foreign sources is prohibited from being a member of a political party for eight years.” After this draft law was made public, photographs from previous years began circulating on local media in Georgia, suggesting that the Kobakhidze and Papuashvili had previously received foreign funding and collaborated with international organizations (Facebook/jamnewsge, January 31). According to the logic of the new legislative restrictions, they would now be barred from engaging in political activity. Representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party stated, “We are amending the legislation so that in the future no one can find an alternative way to finance unrest and violence in Georgia from abroad” (Facebook/GeorgianDreamOfficial, January 30).

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos in November stated, “The Georgian government is very careful about who we provide funding to. We are exploring ways to transfer funds to civil society without harming them” (1tv.ge, November 11, 2025). The new grants legislation is being viewed as a response to this statement. Papuashvili accused certain countries, such as Estonia, of being used by Georgian NGOs to circumvent the law. After the adoption of the laws on transparency and foreign influence, many NGOs registered their organizations in Estonia and moved their accounts abroad (Facebook/shpapuashvili, January 30).

The new legislative initiative aims to close these “loopholes.” A representative of the ruling party, Irakli Kirtskhalia, who presented the new law, stated, “We will reach everyone”   (Facebook/GeorgianDreamOfficial, January 28). Authorities justify the need for the amendments, first, as a response to statements by EU leaders calling for ways to fund Georgian NGOs, and, second, as a measure to protect the country’s sovereignty. In Georgian Dream lawmakers’ view, foreign funding could be used for anti-government activities.

The Georgian government’s tightening of laws on foreign funding, along with the anticipated restrictions on political activity, will further deepen criticism from the OSCE and the European Union. At the same time, this could put the country at risk of broad restrictions that may criminalize civil society, journalism, and independent political activity.