Georgia’s draft law targeting press freedom inspired by Moscow – Technologist

Georgia has long been a model of democratization in the post-Soviet space. But since the Georgian Dream political party came to power in 2012, and particularly since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus has been sinking into authoritarianism, adopting methods reminiscent of Russia. This shift occurred despite Georgia gaining official candidate status for European Union membership in December 2023. Determined to silence any critical voices six months before the parliamentary elections in October, the ruling Georgian Dream party passed the first reading of its controversial bill on “foreign influence” on Wednesday, April 17.

The bill, modeled on a Russian law aimed at destroying the media and civil society, was abandoned a year ago due to domestic and international pressure. Since its surprise return to Parliament in early April, thousands of Georgians have been protesting daily to demand its withdrawal, amidst widespread international condemnation.

The European Union and the US, the main financial backers of this country of 3.7 million inhabitants, have both condemned the bill as incompatible with democratic values. On Friday, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expressed concern at this “step backward,” which threatens to tip the country into the camp of Moscow and jeopardizes its dual constitutional objective of joining the EU and the Atlantic Alliance.

Targeted by the bill, independent journalists, already harassed daily and increasingly victims of physical assault, are alarmed at what they see as an existential threat. Under the guise of “transparency,” the bill – dubbed “Russian law” by its detractors – obliges organizations that receive at least 20% foreign funding to register as “organizations serving the interests of a foreign power” and publish annual financial reports. Failure to comply will result in heavy fines of around €8,500, a colossal sum for independent media, which are predominantly online, financially fragile and rely almost entirely on support from foreign, mainly Western, backers. Journalists also condemn that the bill could allow the authorities to confiscate their computers, seize confidential documents and access their sources.

“If the law is passed, it will probably be the end of independent media,” said Robin Fabbro, editor-in-chief of Tbilisi-based online media outlet OC Media. “People are very afraid of finding themselves in a situation comparable to Russia or Belarus, where independent media outlets have been destroyed, and it’s extremely difficult to get access to what the government is doing.”

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