Earlier this month, the controversial Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, which severely restricts civil society in the country, went into effect in Georgia. The law, similar to legislation in Russia that has been used to detain activists and restrict members of the press, requires civil society and media organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their revenue from abroad to register as ‘organizations serving the interests of a foreign power.’

As the law paves the way for state surveillance, scrutiny, and further stigmatization of civil society activists and organizations in Georgia, we must stand in solidarity with those fighting for human rights and democracy in the country and invest in grassroots efforts. It’s also key to recognize that the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence is not the last attack on civil liberties by the Georgian Parliament. Since this law was adopted, there has been an effort to introduce another legislation, this time targeting LGBTQI+ rights under the guise of protecting families and children.

Activists and independent media in Georgia had been monitoring the shrinking space for civil activism for years and feared legislation like the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence and they have made their voices heard. They have seen how similar laws have been used to curb freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of the press in Russia and Kyrgyzstan and are concerned about the increasing influence of the Kremlin on their country.

The foreign agents law in Kyrgyzstan was formally adopted in April 2024, a few weeks before Georgia. This is a pattern that keeps on growing throughout the region, a pattern that the people of Georgia foresaw and advocated against. In 2023, when the Georgian Parliament attempted to pass a similar law, public protests halted the effort. The law’s re-introduction this April led to mass protests, with hundreds of thousands pouring to the streets. Peaceful protestors were met with arrests, tear gas, and violence from riot police and the Parliament overrode the President’s veto of the bill paving the road for its passage this May.

The emerging restrictive laws in Georgia pose a grave danger to organizations from all over Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central and North Asia. The laws create a multi-dimensional human rights crisis and it directly impacts activists from Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine to name a few. Organizers from these countries have fled to Georgia in search of a safer place while fleeing the deterioration of democracy in their own home countries. These laws impact how they operate as well.

Designed to Stifle Civil Society 

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the law is that it allows the government to monitor and regulate independent organizations further. Georgia already has mechanisms in place for accountability and transparency from civil society and media organizations. This law is specifically designed to intimidate independent organisations. Registration as an ‘organization serving the interests of a foreign power’ triggers mass government surveillance of activists and organizations, allowing the state to collect personal information about them and those they have contact with. State scrutiny of organizations’ activities under this law makes it almost impossible for them to receive foreign funding and retain their independence.

‘Funders can make a huge impact in protecting local organizations through rapid and flexible grants and by raising the voices of activists and organizations on the ground’

Human rights activists and organizations are also concerned about the law because it perpetuates their stigmatization as ‘foreign agents.’ The term feeds into years of propaganda that has labelled feminist activists as divorced from their own society and driven by foreign funding when in fact these activists are deeply grounded in the issues affecting their communities, just as there are efforts for change all around the world. For years, feminist and LGBTQIA+ activists in Georgia have fought against public mistrust and state propaganda delegitimizing their work; this law undoes this years-long effort.

The law also creates onerous reporting and administrative requirements. Critically, this drains resources and takes away from the most important work of feminist activists and civil society organizations at a moment when they are already severely underfunded and facing intensifying attacks. These added obstacles are intentionally designed to stifle them.

How Philanthropy Can Help

Frontline activists in Georgia are preparing for an election this October that could be a turning point for the country’s democratic course. As activists build momentum, funders can stand in solidarity by investing in local efforts and amplifying their voices, and elevating their concerns about increased attacks on freedom and access to rights for all.

In the face of increased scrutiny on organizations within the country, it’s more important than ever to support Georgian activists and civil society efforts. One tangible and accessible way to show support is by uplifting and contributing to a list of resources, including funding and digital security tools, that have been compiled by Dalan Fund.

Funders can make a huge impact in protecting local organizations through rapid and flexible grants and by raising the voices of activists and organizations on the ground like Women’s Fund in Georgia. Especially with an election on the horizon, it’s key for all those who care about human rights and free press to stay aware of how the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence will inevitably impact defenders, media, LGBTQIA+ organizations, and other voices of dissent in Georgia.

Salome Chagelishvili is a feminist activist from Tbilisi, Georgia. She works with the Women’s Fund in Georgia.

Kate Kroeger is the Executive Director of Urgent Action for Feminist Activism and an advocate, grantmaker, and strategist with more than two decades of experience with grassroots work, international human rights law, and feminist and social justice philanthropy.

Nino Ugrekhelidze is a feminist resource justice advocate from Tbilisi, Georgia. She is the Lead of Dalan Fund, an activist-led fund that resources Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central and North Asia.