Civil society organisations in Georgia today issued a public demand to the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party to clarify whether they have been instructed to favour the interests of a foreign nation. This demand comes in light of the party's recent move to reintroduce a controversial draft law on foreign agents, a move that was initially met with significant backlash and was withdrawn in early March 2023.

Despite previous protests, the Georgian Dream party has decided to reintroduce the proposal with minimal changes, specifically changing the term 'foreign agent' to 'organisation acting in the interest of a foreign power'. The civil society organisations pointed out the irony of Georgian Dream officials who previously worked for and were funded by Western organisations and governments now proposing a law that labels similar organisations as operating under foreign influence.

Highlighting the extensive international experience of several Georgian Dream representatives, the statement underlines the contradiction in their current stance against organisations funded by foreign states, many of which they have been associated with, and criticises the reintroduction of the law as an attack on Georgia's democracy and European aspirations. It stresses that the proposed law mirrors similar legislation in Russia and is part of a wider regional trend that threatens democratic values.

The statement was signed by the following civil society organisations Human Rights Centre, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, Government Monitoring Centre, Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy, Green Alternative, SovLab, Platform Salam, International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, Civil Society Foundation, Sapari Union, Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA), Georgian Democracy Initiative, Georgia's European Orbit, Georgia Reforms Association, CourtWatch, Institute for Social Studies and Analysis, Women's Initiative Supporting Group, Social Justice Centre, GCRT, Tbilisi Pride.

In addition, more than 400 organisations issued a joint statement saying that the Russian law introduced in the parliament is a Russian authoritarian tool to suppress freedom of speech. Its adoption will make it impossible to open negotiations with the EU at the end of the year. The statement reads: "We, the Georgian media and non-governmental organisations, categorically reject the Russian law reintroduced by the authorities. "The fact that 'Georgian Dream' is breaking its own word and deceiving the people is directed not only against the Georgian media and Georgian NGOs, but also against every citizen and the European future of Georgia".

The US Helsinki Commission also condemned the move as an attack on Georgia's democracy and its aspirations to move closer to Euro-Atlantic standards.The civil society groups argue that the actions of the Georgian Dream party not only violate Georgia's democratic and European commitments, but also undermine public confidence in the leadership of the ruling party.

They call for transparency and accountability from Georgian Dream officials, asking them to disclose any instructions to act in the interests of a foreign state. The organisations reaffirm their commitment to serving the Georgian public, promoting democratic values and strengthening Georgian institutions, despite the challenges posed by the proposed legislation.