{"id":"GEO-006","notes":"DATE: February 21, 2023 — Wikipedia confirms exact date. GONGO/FRONT ACTOR: People's Power is analytically the Georgian equivalent of CZDS in Serbia — a political front using civil society language to push regime agenda. The US FARA equivalence framing is a documented tactical innovation: by copying US law text verbatim, Georgian Dream neutralized US criticism of the bill as \"Kremlin-inspired.\" Venice Commission urgent opinion debunks the comparison (FARA targets individuals working for foreign governments, not NGOs; only ~5% of FARA registrants are non-profits). Cross-ref GEO-002 (law adoption). Scope note: this is the earliest anchor case — initial GONGO legislative vanguard function.","country":"Georgia","sources":[{"url":null,"citation":"Wikipedia 2023-2024 Georgian protests (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023%E2%80%932024_Georgian_protests); Venice Commission urgent opinion (OSCE.org); Advocates for Human Rights October 2025"}],"summary":"People's Power movement — Georgian Dream's radical vanguard faction — registers original \"Foreign Agents Registration Act\" bill on February 21, 2023, as verbatim translation of US FARA. Strategy: by copying US law text, provides \"American model\" cover for what is functionally a Russian-style restriction. March 2023: mass protests force withdrawal of original bill. April 2024: Georgian Dream reintroduces under new title \"Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence\" — substituting \"agents of foreign influence\" with \"organizations serving the interests of a foreign power.\" GONGO/FRONT FUNCTION: People's Power acts as legislative initiator — allowing Georgian Dream to distance itself from the bill while ensuring its progression. Pattern: radical vanguard introduces bill, ruling party adopts and defends through \"transparency\" framing. ANALYTICALLY IMPORTANT: same template as Serbian CZDS — civil society-named front organizations providing legitimacy cover for regime legislative agenda. Wikipedia: \"People's Power registered alternative bill 'On the Registration of Foreign Agents Act', a verbatim translation of the US FARA.\" ORIGIN POINT CONFIRMED (November 2022): People's Power formally announces CSO foreign funding proposal in response to US Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Georgia's democratic backsliding. Claims proposal based on \"best Western practices\" and US FARA. Context: GD chair Kobakhidze responds \"we will discuss\" — establishing ruling party tacit support from outset. CSOMeter Nov 2022: \"Increased attacks on watchdog organizations have considerably accelerated since the European Council's decision not to give Georgia the EU country candidate status.\" CSOs accused of agitating against Georgia's candidate status — attacks framed as \"traitor\" labeling. MARCH 2023 WITHDRAWAL: mass protests force withdrawal of original bill. Lazare Grigoriadis detained during protests — his father subsequently arrested for protesting his detention. Withdrawal is tactical not substantive — law reintroduced April 2024 under new name. CSOMeter Feb 21 2023: full text of original bill published (registration requirement, 25,000 GEL fines, Ministry of Justice monitoring).","tactics":[{"code":"TC-28","role":"primary","label":"Phantom GONGO Weaponization","needs_review":false},{"code":"TC-29","role":"secondary","label":"Academic / Foreign Authority Legitimization","needs_review":false}],"version":1,"channels":["Official/Regulatory"],"entities":[{"id":777,"name":"People's Power movement (Georgian Dream radical vanguard)","role":"actor","entity_type":"GONGO"},{"id":778,"name":"Civil society sector; international donors; independent media; domestic legitimacy of Western-funded CSOs","role":"target","entity_type":"Sector"}],"date_text":"29/12/2022","created_at":"2026-09-24T17:50:55.358311+00:00","escalation":2,"harm_track":"Track 2 — Social Trust Erosion","narratives":[{"code":"NF-01","role":"primary","label":"Foreign Agent / Foreign Influence","needs_review":false},{"code":"NF-07","role":"secondary","label":"Democratic Mandate Attack","needs_review":false}],"report_ids":[],"signal_ids":["SIG-GEO-006"],"updated_at":"2026-09-24T17:50:55.358311+00:00","occurred_on":"2022-12-29","campaign_ids":["GEO-CAMP-001"],"enabler_type":"","response_ids":[],"trigger_type":"TR-04: Electoral Event","campaign_phase":"Phase 2: Media Execution","civic_response":"March 2023 mass protests — bill withdrawn; Venice Commission, OSCE/ODIHR expose FARA comparison as false; civil society coalition maintains non-compliance position","date_precision":"day","enabler_status":"","campaigns_served":[],"consequence_category":"Social Trust Erosion","institutional_consequence":"Bill forced withdrawal under protests March 2023; reintroduced under cover of \"transparency\" framing April 2024; adopted May 2024"}