Georgian Parliament Adopts Law on Foreign Agents in Second Reading

Georgia's parliament on Tuesday passed in the second reading a new bill on foreign agents, which is analogous to the U.S. law, the voting was broadcast live on the website of the country's top legislative body.

The bill is called the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The American law in question is called the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)/.

“Eighty-six (votes) in favor, none against. The package has been passed in the second reading,” Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said at the voting session.

In early February, Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party said it would initiate a new law on foreign agents, which would be a literal analog of the current U.S. FARA law, to prevent any speculation about a “foreign influence transparency law.” Georgian authorities have also previously passed the “Foreign Influence Transparency Act,” also known as the Foreign Agents Act. The difference between this law and the U.S. law is that the Foreign Influence Transparency Act concerns organizations, not individuals, and involves fines for failure to file annual income tax returns. A similar U.S. law provides for imprisonment for up to 5 years.

Reprinted from https://ria.ru/