Georgia Proposes Law Giving Government Control Over Foreign Funding, Criminal Penalties
00:56, 30 января 2026 г.
Proposed amendments would require government approval for most foreign funding and impose criminal penalties, raising fears of a crackdown on independent civil society and journalism.
Georgia’s ruling party will propose sweeping amendments that would give the government direct control over most foreign funding for civil society groups, independent media, and politically active organizations, and criminalize non-compliance.
The move has raised concerns about a complete crackdown on independent voices in the country.
The legislation would significantly expand the scope of activities the government seeks to regulate, according to a copy of the draft amendments obtained by OCCRP’s Georgian member center Monitori. The legislation would require prior approval for nearly all financial or in-kind support, including monetary grants and pro bono technical assistance.
If passed by parliament, the amendments would also broaden the legal definition of “grant” to include any support the government sees as being “carried out with the belief or intent of exerting any influence” on public policy, potentially putting routine journalism, advocacy, and research at legal risk.
In a post on its official Facebook page, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced that the proposals would include criminal penalties of up to six years in prison for receiving foreign funds without permission.
People linked to foreign-funded organizations would also be barred from joining political parties for eight years, and the State Audit Office would gain expanded powers to monitor the finances of politically active individuals and entities.
Critics say the measures go far beyond transparency rules.
According to Nika Simonishvili, former chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, the government’s failure to achieve its objectives through the original 2025 Grant Law—which was narrower in scope and imposed only fines for non-compliance—has prompted a shift toward a more sweeping crackdown, effectively aiming to halt the functioning of civil society and independent media in Georgia.
"Georgian Dream simply wants no space left for civil society and media organizations that are independent of them," Simonishvili said, adding that now the government is trying their best “to ensure that independent money and funds no longer reach these people or media organizations."
The ruling party has argued the changes are needed to close legal loopholes that allowed foreign funding to influence political processes in the country.
“At this stage, financing unrest, violence, or revolutionary processes in Georgia from abroad has become significantly more difficult. However, in practice, we still see certain mechanisms and ways to bypass existing laws,” Georgian Dream member and lawmaker Irakli Kirtskhalia said during a briefing.
If left unaddressed, “these could jeopardize the peace, stability, economic progress, and prosperity that our country has preserved through great effort,” he added.