Boise City Wire

U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, along with 12 of their colleagues, have penned a bipartisan letter to the Prime Minister of Georgia condemning the re-introduction of a law that would require non-governmental organizations and independent media receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign donors to register as foreign agents. The senators expressed their concerns about the potential impact of this law on free speech and the relationship between the United States and Georgia, which is built on shared democratic values.

In the letter, the senators stated, “This legislation targets civil society, the lifeblood of Georgian democracy, and appears directed at assistance from the United States and Europe, which have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to support Georgia’s sovereignty and democratic transition since its secession from the Soviet Union in 1991. The legislation contradicts the wishes of the Georgian people, given that 79 percent of Georgians consistently support European Union (EU) membership.”

The bipartisan group of senators includes Ben Cardin, Lindsey Graham, Chris Coons, Pete Ricketts, Dick Durbin, Roger Wicker, Richard Blumenthal, Thom Tillis, Tim Kaine, Dan Sullivan, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Martin Heinrich.

The background to the letter highlights that mass protests erupted 13 months ago when the Georgian government initially introduced the foreign agents law. Although the legislation was withdrawn in response to public backlash, a similar version has now been reintroduced, leading to renewed protests in Tbilisi. The senators noted that the foreign agents bill resembles legislation implemented in Russia in 2012, which weakened democratic opposition to the Kremlin.

The full text of the letter can be accessed for further details on the senators’ position regarding the foreign agents law in Georgia.