{"id":"GEO-023","notes":"GEO-CAMP-001. Escalation of GEO-007 (2024 FARA — TC-23/TC-18). The 2025 FARA is analytically distinct from the 2024 version: criminal liability is qualitatively new. TC-23 / TC-18 maintained — TC-18 secondary for urgency/fast-track legislative procedure. Cross-country pattern: GEO-023 (Georgia FARA 2025 + criminal liability) follows BIH-041 (April 2026 BiH AML Instructions) and precedes the SRB foreign agent law submission (December 2024). The criminal liability threshold is the highest in the documented database. Mzia Amaghlobeli case: TC-39 could apply but retained here as enforcement incident under FARA context.","country":"Georgia","sources":[{"url":null,"citation":"ProtectDefenders.eu, July 28, 2025 (https://protectdefenders.eu/georgias-crackdown-on-civil-society-deepens-as-foreign-agents-law-comes-into-force/); RSF July 11, 2025 (Amaghlobeli joint appeal)"}],"summary":"April 1, 2025: Georgian Parliament passes new Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Signed into law April 2. Enters into force June 1, 2025. The law compels individuals and organizations receiving foreign funding to register as 'foreign agents' if they engage in vaguely defined 'political activity.' CRITICAL ESCALATION FROM 2024 VERSION (GEO-007): introduces criminal liability — up to five years imprisonment for non-compliance. Aim documented by ProtectDefenders: 'to stigmatise, silence, and criminalise civil society and independent media.' May 2025: multiple human rights defenders report home searches and judicial pressure as enforcement begins. Related enforcement — Mzia Amaghlobeli, director of independent broadcaster Publika, prosecuted for 'disobeying police orders' in the course of journalistic work. July 11, 2025: Reporters Without Borders and partners publish joint appeal denouncing political motivations behind her prosecution, calling it emblematic of growing judicial harassment of independent media. Organizations face stark choice: accept foreign agent label, shut down, or risk prosecution.","tactics":[{"code":"TC-23","role":"primary","label":"Foreign Agent Legislation","needs_review":false},{"code":"TC-18","role":"secondary","label":"Legislative Operationalization","needs_review":false}],"version":1,"channels":["Official/Regulatory"],"entities":[{"id":811,"name":"Georgian Dream (legislative authorization and signing); Georgian Parliament (passage); Georgian prosecutor's office (Amaghlobeli prosecution); RSF / international community (documentation)","role":"actor","entity_type":"Government Official"},{"id":812,"name":"All civil society organizations and individuals receiving foreign funding and engaging in 'political activity' — vaguely defined. Estimated sector-wide impact. Named: Mzia Amaghlobeli (director, Publika independent broadcaster) prosecuted under related enforcement. Georgia ranks 114/180 in RSF 2025 World Press Freedom Index.","role":"target","entity_type":"Sector"}],"date_text":"01/04/2025","created_at":"2026-09-24T17:50:55.358311+00:00","escalation":5,"harm_track":"Track 1 — Legal/Administrative","narratives":[{"code":"NF-01","role":"primary","label":"Foreign Agent / Foreign Influence","needs_review":false},{"code":"NF-10","role":"secondary","label":"Sovereignty Protection / State Security Infrastructure","needs_review":false}],"report_ids":[],"signal_ids":[],"updated_at":"2026-09-24T17:50:55.358311+00:00","occurred_on":"2025-04-01","campaign_ids":["GEO-CAMP-001"],"enabler_type":"","response_ids":[],"trigger_type":"TR-06: Legislative Milestone","campaign_phase":"Phase 5: Systemic Assault","civic_response":"","date_precision":"day","enabler_status":"","campaigns_served":[],"consequence_category":"Legal/Administrative","institutional_consequence":"Criminal liability (5-year imprisonment) attached to civil society registration failure; sector-wide forced choice: register as foreign agent, shut down, or face prosecution; Publika director prosecuted; Georgia drops to 114/180 RSF Press Freedom Index 2025; triggers wave of CSO and journalist exile (see GEO-024)."}