Why Georgians Are Protesting a Russian ‘Foreign Agent’ Bill

This week’s episode is about the ongoing protests in Georgia in response to the country’s ruling political party, Georgia Dream, moving forward with its “foreign agent.”

Officially titled “On the Transparency of Foreign Influence," the bill, if passed into law, would require organizations in the country receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as “foreign agents” or face large fines. Protesters say it is similar to laws spearheaded in Russia by Vladimir Putin.

Here this week to talk about the protests and why the bill is driving so many people to the streets around Georgia is Katie Shoshiashvili, Senior Corruption Researcher at Transparency International Georgia, who focuses on democracy reporting and research on democratization in the EU's Eastern Partnership region. 

Host: Terrell Jermaine Starr

Guest: Katie Shoshiashvili

Producer: Mike Hull

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Links to read about this subject 

Georgia presses on with Putin-style ‘foreign agent’ bill despite huge protests (CNN)

2024 Is a Year of Opportunity for Georgia (National Interest)

Georgians Call for Ex-Leader's Release on Revolution Anniversary (VOA)

Georgians dream of EU membership as their leaders move closer to Putin (The Guardian)

Katie Shoshiashvili, Senior Corruption Researcher at Transparency International Georgia, focuses on democracy reporting and research on democratization in the EU's Eastern Partnership region. She holds a MSc degree in Public Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a Bachelor's degree from the Free University of Tbilisi. Additionally, she contributes insights on disinformation in Eastern Partnership countries to Euractiv’s FREIHEIT platform.