The International Press Institute (IPI) has joined the partner organizations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and strongly condemns the ruling party, Georgian Dream, for its proposals to implement a series of legislative changes that would impose additional restrictions and fines on recipients of grants and foreign funding, the IPI statement says.

The organizations state that if these changes are enacted, they will strengthen the already restrictive legislation on financial support for media and civil society and could eliminate any possibility for Georgian journalists and media outlets to receive independent funding in any form.

According to the statement, the proposed changes were announced by the leader of the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority on January 28, with adoption planned for February 3. Under the expedited proposals registered in Parliament, violations of the new law would be punishable by a fine, 300 to 500 hours of community service, or imprisonment of up to six years.

“The proposals significantly expand the definition of ‘grant,’ which would practically include any foreign funding related to public, political, or civic activities. Media organizations and journalists receiving such grants or funding without prior government approval could be punished with up to six years in prison. Payments from foreign actors for journalism-related services, research, or expertise could also be considered illegal grants. Government approval would also be required for foreign organizations attempting to issue grants to their local branches, to persons registered abroad primarily engaged in Georgia-related work, or to foreign actors hiring experts in Georgia,” the statement says.

In addition, according to the organizations, the Criminal Code would introduce an aggravating circumstance for money laundering connected to activities related to Georgia’s domestic political affairs, punishable by 9 to 12 years of imprisonment.

“These latest proposals add to the alarming list of restrictive legislation adopted in 2025, undermining media freedom and civil society. According to monitoring by the Media Freedom Maps, there has been a sharp increase in legal incidents in Georgia, accounting for 42.0% of all registered cases. In 2025, 60 legal incidents were documented, nearly double the 33 reported in 2024. Over the past two years, repressive legislation passed by Georgian Dream included the law on foreign agents (the Georgian version of FARA), amendments to the Law on Freedom of Speech and Expression, as well as changes to grant and broadcasting legislation. Collectively, these legal measures not only threatened the survival of media but imposed restrictive censorship, bringing Georgian journalism to the brink of collapse.

MFRR partners have repeatedly stated that the already unprecedented restrictions on the country’s media would only intensify without international pressure. Despite an increasingly hostile environment for free media, independent journalists remain in the country and refuse to be silenced or forced into exile. However, they urgently need international support,” the statement says.

The organizations consider the proposed changes incompatible with Georgia’s international human rights obligations, including those under the European Convention on Human Rights and its membership in the Council of Europe. They also violate commitments made to the OSCE, which require the protection of freedom of expression and the ability of the media to operate independently.

“Therefore, we welcome the activation of the OSCE’s ‘Moscow Mechanism’ to initiate an expert mission on the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia. Our organizations call on the Parliament controlled by Georgian Dream to immediately cancel plans to adopt these restrictive amendments and to repeal existing repressive legislation, including the law on foreign agents, the Georgian version of the FARA law on foreign agent registration, and amendments to grant and broadcasting legislation. Finally, we once again call on the European Union and the international community to respond firmly to the restrictions imposed by the ruling party against media and civil society, including through targeted sanctions,” the statement says.

The statement is signed by the International Press Institute (IPI), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), and OBC Transeuropa (OBCT).

The statement is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism that monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU member states and candidate countries.