U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered opening remarks at a full committee hearing on anti-NGO laws and other tools of democratic repression. The hearing featured testimonies from Douglas Rutzen, president and CEO of the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law; Yaqui Wang, research director at Freedom House; and Eka Gigauri, executive director at Transparency International Georgia.
Senator Risch emphasized the bipartisan nature of addressing anti-NGO laws: “First and foremost, I think we should all agree and recognize this is not a partisan issue. This is a bipartisan issue, it’s an American issue, and something we all need to work on together.”
He noted that authoritarian regimes often use anti-NGO laws to maintain power by repressing political opposition and silencing human rights advocates. “The tool of choice for authoritarians these days is anti-nongovernmental organization laws, also referred to as foreign agent laws,” Risch stated. He pointed out that such laws are designed to close space for civil society under the guise of preventing foreign influence.
Risch highlighted Russia’s role in pioneering these tactics: “It should not surprise anyone that the model anti-NGO law was first designed by Vladimir Putin.” He mentioned similar practices in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Sudan, Syria, Hungary, Slovakia, China, Hong Kong, Tunisia, Tanzania, Chad, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda.
Particularly concerning for Risch was Georgia’s government persisting with restrictive NGO legislation despite EU warnings: “I am glad the U.S. has undertaken a review of our policies toward Georgia and am supportive of the current pause in assistance.”
Risch concluded by stressing the importance of U.S. efforts to combat these trends globally: “The United States must do more to combat this trend. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses what they are doing and what more can be done on this important issue.”
Witness testimony from the hearing is available on foreign.senate.gov.
