Topic: Foreign Influence Law

The President of Georgia has vetoed a "foreign influence" law that requires NGOs receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents. While critics label it a "Russian law" intended to silence dissent, proponents compare it to the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The EU has warned that the law could jeopardize Georgia's path to membership.

Massive protests erupted in Tbilisi, Georgia, against a proposed "foreign influence" law that would require NGOs receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents. Protesters, waving EU flags, fear the law is a Russian-style measure designed to stifle dissent and block Georgia's accession to the European Union. The situation is being compared to the 2014 Maidan revolution in Ukraine.