New York, May 30, 2025—A punishing spate of laws targeting foreign-funded media will dramatically curb Georgia’s independent voices and force many news outlets to shutter or shift their business operations, say Georgian journalists and press freedom advocates.
Georgia’s populist ruling Georgian Dream party has pushed through its new Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)—called an “exact copy” of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act— granting the state authority to criminally prosecute media outlets, NGOs, and individuals for failing to register as a “foreign agent.”
Yet the way the law is written, “they can use it against anyone,” warned Mariam Nikuradze, executive director of the independent Georgia-based regional news outlet OC Media. Nikuradze said the increasingly authoritarian Georgian Dream party has weaponized uncertainty over how the law will be enforced to “create this environment [of fear]” and force compliance from outlets that refused to register under the country’s 2024 foreign agent law.
“They may arrest some people, as an example, to terrorize,” Nikuradze said.
Taking effect May 31, Georgia’s second ‘foreign agent’ law comes amid two separate bills passed in April that would restrict foreign funding crucial to large swathes of the country’s independent newsrooms. Nikuradze said that with these laws Georgian Dream is making it “almost impossible to exist as a media or rights group.”“Everything that is happening right now is leading towards the final goal of making these organizations disappear,” Nikuradze said, “just like it happened in Azerbaijan, Russia or Belarus, where there are no organizations on the ground, they go into exile or just shut down.”
An intensifying crackdown on Western influence
A Georgian parliament stripped of its opposition passed the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) on April 1, as well as a bill banning foreign funding of broadcasters. Georgian Dream deputies hastily approved drafted amendments requiring government approval for foreign grants on April 16, which many believe will be used to block grants to critical Georgian media. In each case, Georgian Dream loyalist President Mikheil Kavelashvili, ratified each of the bills on the same day they were passed.
While Georgia’s existing 2024 foreign agent law remains unimplemented amid widespread refusal by media and nonprofits to register, legal experts argue that the criminal sanctions and “catch-all” provisions in Georgia Dream’s FARA law will likely be applied punitively because they are not subject to the same legal safeguards as in the U.S. Registration under the law offers little safety since FARA can penalize not only non-registration but also registrants’ alleged omissions and false statements with up to five years in prison.
Ignoring the new law is a risk many media workers will not take, said Lia Chakhunashvili, executive director of independent trade group Georgian Charter for Journalistic Ethics.
“If we don’t want to register—and none of us want to register—our understanding is that we should stop all donor-funded activities before May 31,” she told CPJ. “We will work as volunteers as long as we can. That I can do. But I cannot take any money from any donor past May 30, because I don’t want to go to jail.”
Over the past year, the Georgia Dream party has steadily escalated rhetorical attacks against the West and international donors, as well as donor-funded civil society groups and media, accusing them of attempting to overthrow the government. The party has faced months of protests over alleged fraud in October 2024 elections and its apparent reversal of the country’s bid to join the European Union.
FARA also comes as the Trump administration’s USAID cuts have left regional media facing what Georgia-based journalists have called an “extinction-level event.”
“Georgian media was highly reliant on support from USAID for many years,” via the global development and education organization IREX, which was the country’s most substantial media donor, Chakhunashvili said. She added that although the EU has promised to step in, “nothing can replace USAID funding.”
‘Locking all the doors’
Georgian Dream has enthusiastically embraced the Trump administration claims that USAID serves to “destabilize” nations, citing this as a reason to restrict foreign funding.
“The worldwide USAID scandal … has made it obvious that we should fully reclaim our country,” said Georgia Dream parliamentary leader Mamuka Mdinaradze as he unveiled the bills restricting foreign funding in February.To be “on the safe side,” Georgia Dream passed amendments giving the government explicit control over grants Chakhunashvili said. Similarly, she said the party moved quickly to prohibit broadcasters from receiving foreign funding after the EU pledged to redirect government aid to civil society and the media, fearing that European donors might start to fund oppositional broadcasters who are increasingly struggling financially.
“They are trying to put as many locks on the doors as possible. Even if it’s not necessary, they are readying the locks,” Chakhunashvili said.
Amid the new restrictions, the Georgian Charter for Journalistic Ethics expects some donors will “leave the country altogether,” Chakhunashvili said, explaining that applying for government approval for each grant adds a layer of difficulty amid increased government hostility towards donors and security fears for grantees under the new foreign agent law.
“Already now, money is not enough for our needs, and I expect that this will shrink even further what is available,” Chakhunashvili said.
Fighting for survival
Following the passage of Georgia’s 2024 foreign agent law, some media moved their financial operations abroad to sidestep the law’s restrictions. But many argue that under FARA’s more restrictive clauses, any payments from abroad to journalists inside Georgia would fall under the new law; however, it remains unclear how it will be applied.
Some Georgian media outlets are preparing for a “tectonic shift” in their operating model, said Nata Koridze, managing editor for independent news site Civil.ge.
“We have to change and become profit organizations, instead of nonprofit,” said Koridze, adding that independent media will have to “cut in many directions and not be able to maintain the same number of staff.”
Digital advertising in Georgia is limited by a small market and readers are not accustomed to paying for online news, said Koridze, who announced her departure from Civil.ge May 27, following the arrest of her husband, a prominent opposition leader.
Meanwhile, OC Media, Nikuradze’s outlet, has pioneered efforts in crowdfunding and now covers around 10 percent of its operating costs through membership. “Everybody is still trying to find ways to survive,” Nikuradze told CPJ, adding that her outlet is also experimenting with other options such as advertising and sponsored content. Other media, including major oppositional broadcasters TV Pirveli and Formula TV, are seeking donations via a unified platform, with varying results.
Ultimately, not all of Georgia’s media outlets will be able to endure with fewer resources to go around, Nikuradze said.
“There will probably only be a few organizations who will survive this, due to different reasons,” she said. “Unfortunately, there will be some that will be shutting down.”
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Nick Lewis.