The U.S. has announced a review of its bilateral cooperation with Georgia over the controversial “foreign agent” law, which has sparked weeks of mass protests in Tbilisi.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that Washington is imposing visa restrictions on individuals responsible for “undermining democracy in Georgia.”
While no officials were specifically named, it is believed that members of the ruling Georgian Dream party are targeted.
Critics argue that the “foreign agent” law is modeled after similar Russian legislation used to suppress Kremlin critics, a claim the ruling party denies.
Tbilisi officials contend that the legislation aims to “boost transparency” of foreign funding.
The law, passed last week, mandates that non-governmental organizations and independent media receiving more than 20% of their funding from foreign donors register as entities “bearing the interests of a foreign power.”
Although Georgia’s president has vetoed the law, the ruling party has enough MPs to potentially override her veto with another parliamentary vote.