Six of Georgia’s large civil society organizations have stated they have been formally targeted under the country’s newly enacted version of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)—a law that critics have warned could be used to silence independent watchdogs.

The groups announced on August 15 that they had received inspection notices from the Anti-Corruption Bureau, marking the first time the legislation, which came into effect at the end of May, has been applied against them. According to their joint statement, the Bureau’s letters, dated August 11, accuse the organizations of violating the so-called “Foreign Agents Registration Act,” threatening criminal charges and demanding an explanation for their refusal to register as “agents.”

The recipients include the Civil Society Foundation (formerly the Open Society Georgia Foundation), Sapari, Transparency International – Georgia, the Media Development Foundation, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), and the Social Justice Center. A letter dated August 8, reviewed by Civil.ge, cites earlier inspections of these groups by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. In June, eight NGOs—including the six now targeted—received court orders compelling them to provide sensitive data about their beneficiaries. Those orders were based not on the Georgian FARA, but on other legal grounds: the Law on Political Associations, the Law on Grants, and the Law on Combating Corruption. The organizations refused to release confidential client information.

The new August correspondence builds on that process, referencing financial records obtained from tax authorities and commercial banks, as well as publicly available information about the groups’ activities. The Bureau claims this evidence suggests the NGOs may be conducting “political activity” as defined under the Georgian FARA. The letter asserts that the organizations could be seeking to influence the government, state bodies, or the public with the aim of shaping domestic or foreign policy—potentially reflecting “the political or public interests” of a foreign government or political party. It warns that failing to register as an “agent of a foreign principal” could lead to criminal prosecution and requests that the groups explain their non-compliance.

The Bureau also references public remarks made by NGO representatives, including admissions of having destroyed certain documents to protect beneficiary privacy during the June inspection. Baia Pataraia, head of the women’s rights group Sapari, had previously confirmed that her organization had disposed of part of its archive for that reason. The NGOs have been given ten days to respond.

Georgia’s version of FARA—adopted by the Georgian Dream-controlled parliament and effective since May 31—is a verbatim translation of the U.S. statute from 1938. It requires anyone deemed an “agent of a foreign principal” to register in a special database managed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau within ten days of qualifying for that status. Non-compliance can result in severe penalties, including prison terms. This is the second piece of “foreign agents” legislation enacted in Georgia in two years, following the 2024 “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence,” widely nicknamed the “Russian law,” which is still in force.

Critics argue that, unlike the American FARA, which is seldom used against NGOs or independent media, the Georgian version was designed precisely to target such groups. The Bureau, led by Razhden Kuprashvili—a figure seen as close to the ruling party—has created an online portal for registration. Some organizations have already signed up, but many of the law’s main targets have refused, citing the heavy stigma of the word “agent” in Georgian, which is commonly equated with “spy” or “traitor.” Georgian Dream leaders have repeatedly used that label to attack their critics.

The targeted NGOs insist they serve only Georgia’s national interests and reject the government’s framing. In their joint statement, they said that even under the U.S. FARA’s own criteria—which the Georgian law claims to mirror—they would not qualify for registration. They accused the authorities of adopting measures “in the style of Putin’s Russia” to erode democratic space and vowed to continue their work defending citizens’ rights, declaring: “We will not live under Russian laws.”