Georgian parliament to submit bill on registration of foreign agents today

"On Registration of Foreign Agents" - this is the name of the second draft law, which will be submitted to the Georgian Parliamentary Bureau on February 27.

According to the draft law, any natural or legal person who receives financing from abroad will have the obligation to register as a foreign agent, according to Interpress News.

The law will not apply to diplomats, consuls or employees of the diplomatic service or consular institution.

The law also does not apply to officials of a foreign country, persons engaged in charitable activities and those "engaged in religious, educational, scientific, academic or artistic activities in good faith".

According to the bill, entities that meet the criteria of being an agent of a foreign force are required to apply to the Prosecutor General and request registration as an agent of a foreign force.

Non-fulfilment or improper fulfilment of the obligation stipulated by the Law on Registration of Foreign Agents shall result in criminal liability and shall be punishable by a fine or imprisonment for a term of up to 5 years.

On behalf of the initiators of the bill, the draft law on Transparency of Foreign Influence was also initiated in the parliament.

The mentioned draft law envisages the registration of non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entities and media outlets as agents of foreign influence, whose income (more than 20%) is received from abroad.

The authors of the bill are the deputies of People's Power from the majority: Sozar Subari, Dimitri Khundadze, Mikheil Kavelashvili, Guram Macharashvili, Dachi Beraia and Viktor Japaridze.