Georgia Tightens Grip on Dissent with Controversial Laws

Georgia Tightens Grip on Dissent with Controversial Laws

Executive Summary:

• The Georgian Dream government continues to introduce highly controversial bills that put the media, civil society, and anyone opposing government views at risk of imprisonment under the guise of protecting Georgian sovereignty from foreign influence.
• Independent lawyers warn that the line between what is legal and what is unlawful has been erased, and the new bill fails to meet even the basic standards of what constitutes proper law.
• In response to the latest developments, 24 countries have invoked the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE’s) Moscow Mechanism to launch an expert mission investigating Georgia’s deteriorating human rights situation.

On February 3, Georgia’s Georgian Dream-controlled parliament passed the bill “On Grants” and a related package in the first reading. The move drew widespread criticism, as it broadens the definition of grants and imposes criminal liability for violations. Lawyers in Georgia view the amendments as part of a broader, ongoing government effort over the past few years to suppress dissent. Georgian Dream’s latest series of measures have prompted 24 countries to invoke the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE’s) Moscow Mechanism (see EDM, February 10). 

Georgian Dream pushed forward its “On Grants” bill and a related legislative package despite widespread criticism, securing their first reading in parliament earlier this month. Eighty-two members of parliament backed the amendments to the Law on Grants, while ten voted against. Another bill in the same package received 81 votes in favor and eight against (Publika, February 3).

The amendments would broaden the definition of a “grant” requiring government approval and impose criminal liability, including prison terms, for violations. They would also allow prosecution of party leaders receiving foreign funding, criminalize “external lobbying,” and introduce new restrictions on political party members and entrepreneurs (Civil Georgia, February 3).  Under the legislative package, a grant is defined as “funds transferred in money or in-kind, for which the recipient provides technical assistance such as sharing technologies, specialised knowledge, skills, expertise, services, or other forms of support” (Radio Tavisupleba, February 3). In practice, this means that any amount of money—and virtually anything sent from abroad that could be used to exert influence over the state or state institutions—can be classified as a grant. The Georgian Dream government will determine what constitutes “influence on the state.”

Lawyer Saba Brachveli outlined several scenarios that could lead to criminal liability under these amendments in an interview with this author. According to Brachveli, receiving medication from abroad, getting a consultation from a winemaker, or even accepting aid from a friend overseas could all be considered a “grant.” He explained, “For example, there are many people who have received a wheelchair or medication from a [non-governmental organization (NGO)] and continue to use it.” He added:

Since this law has a retroactive effect, it means that if a person continues to use a wheelchair after the law comes into force and decides to make any statement about the rights of wheelchair users, they could be told that they have received a grant, and are engaged in political activity (Author’s interview, February 5).

The amendments also introduce changes to the Law on Political Parties, as well as to the Criminal Code and the Administrative Code. Violations of the Law “On Grants” would carry criminal liability, with penalties ranging from fines and 300 to 500 hours of community service to prison terms of six to nine years (Radio Tavisupleba, February 3). The package also criminalises “lobbying,” defined as paying a citizen or legal entity of a foreign state to promote specific issues related to Georgia, and is punishable by up to six years in prison (Radio Tavisupleba, February 3). Under proposed changes to the Organic Law of Georgia On Political Associations of Citizens, anyone employed by an organisation that receives more than 20 percent of its annual income from a foreign power would be barred from political party membership for eight years (Radio Tavisupleba, February 3).

The Georgian Dream government says the main goal of the disputed legislative changes is “to protect and strengthen Georgia’s sovereignty.” Speaking on February 3 during the presentation of the legislative amendments, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs Archil Gorduladze said the purpose of the changes is “to guarantee a high level of protection of the country’s sovereignty” (Rustavi 2 February 3).

Experts on Georgian law view the amendments as a mechanism ultimately intended to silence the public. According to Nika Simonishvili, a lawyer and former chair of the Young Lawyers’ Association, the line between what is legal and what is unlawful has been erased. Simonishvili explains why the Georgian Dream party decided to implement these amendments. He begins with the “Transparency on Foreign Influence” law—also known as the “Russian law”—adopted two years ago, which he says failed in practice (see EDM, April 24, 2024). According to Simonishvili, the next step was adopting a stricter measure—the so-called “Foreign Agents Registration Act”—which, contrary to its name, did not reflect the U.S. model (see EDM, April 15, 2025). “It introduced criminal liability for failing to register in the agents’ registry, but this law did not work either, as no one complied,” he says (Author’s interview, February 5).

Simonishvili adds that Georgian Dream then shifted its strategy by amending the Law on Grants, this time targeting donors directly. If a donor wanted to issue a grant, they had to apply to the government for permission, and could issue the grant only after receiving that approval. Simonishvili says this law proved more effective than the previous ones because it targeted donors rather than local organisations. He explains, “Many donors operate under strict internal regulations and bureaucratic procedures, so a large number of grant-funded projects were suspended. However, despite this, many donors proved relatively flexible, and grants continued to be issued.” (Author’s interview, February 5).

To fully close those gaps and block any possibility of receiving foreign grants, the Georgian Dream government has proposed even harsher amendments. The legislative package leaves almost no practical chance for independent media organisations, NGOs, and individuals to operate. According to independent lawyers, Georgian Dream has prepared the legislative ground and will enforce it selectively, against people whose voices and tone are unacceptable to them. Saba Brachveli argues that the law does not even meet the basic standards of what a law should be. He says:

A fundamental principle of any legal system is that it must treat the subject of the law as a rational actor, capable of deciding whether to comply with or violate it. In this case, that is impossible. You do not know what the scope of the law is, you do not know what actions are prohibited, or even what actions are permitted under the law (Author’s interview, February 5).

Recent developments in Georgia continue to draw concern from the West. On January 29, 24 countries invoked the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism to launch an expert mission investigating the country’s deteriorating human rights situation, with particular attention to events since spring 2024 (Radio Tavisupleba, January 29; see EDM, February 10). The Moscow Mechanism, part of the OSCE’s human dimension framework, enables participating states to establish an expert mission to investigate serious human rights violations in any member state. Administered by the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, this marks the 17th time the mechanism has been invoked since its establishment in 1991 (Civil Georgia, January 29).

On February 3, during a plenary session, the government said it is considering introducing criminal liability for citizens who “publicly refuse to recognize the legitimacy of constitutional bodies” and encourage others to do the same (Radio Tavisupleba, February 3). The Georgian Dream government does not seem to be putting a stop to introducing highly controversial laws despite widespread concerns and will continue to increase its repression on the Georgian people.