Georgia’s ‘Foreign Agents’ Bill Becomes Law after Weeks of Political Wrangling

After weeks of heated debate and street demonstrations, Georgia’s government has ratified legislation aimed at combatting perceived foreign influence. “Today I formally approved the Transparency of Foreign Influence Law,” Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili told reporters on June 3. Proponents of the law say the legislation is necessary to protect the country from malign foreign influences operating under the guise of “civil society.” “If nongovernmental organizations and mass media want to … influence the life of the Georgian people with funding from foreign governments, they must meet the minimum standard of transparency,” Mr. Papuashvili said. “The public must know who is behind each actor,” he added....