Samantha Power, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) head stated that there is no place for a law similar to the so-called Foreign Agents in Europe, and experience shows that such laws impact accountability for corruption and freedom of speech.
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Voice of America reported that Samantha Power made this statement during a session of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, in response to a question from Senator Jeanne Shaheen about the potential impact of the law on so-called Foreign Agents on the future of civil organizations funded by the United States in Georgia, should the parliament approve it.
"We've seen copycat versions of Russia's foreign agents law appear in many places, and the results are less accountability for corruption and restrictions on free speech. Of course, Georgia now stands, or seems to stand, on the road to Europe, and has recently received some recognition of these ambitions. Fundamentally, there is no place for a similar law on foreign agents in Europe. Human rights and democratic principles must not only be recognized but also protected," Power said.
The head of USAID also criticized the Russian law last year, stating that it would pose a serious threat to Georgia's Euro-Atlantic future.
Georgian Dream has reintroduced the draft law on so-called Foreign Agents, which it had rejected a year ago, in response to a large-scale public protest. The party has pledged to withdraw it "unconditionally, without any reservations" from the parliament. The text of the draft law remains the same, with only the term "agent of foreign influence" being replaced by "organization carrying out the interests of a foreign power."
The US State Department, NATO, the United Nations, the European Union, the foreign committees of the parliaments of 12 EU member states, and individual European Parliamentarians have expressed concern over the reintroduction of the draft law. The US ambassador, Robin Dunnigan also said that the Georgian Dream bill is not similar to the American FARA.
The ruling party intends to pass a law similar to the Russian one before the end of the spring session, even though it could harm Georgia's European integration process.
