Welcome to Turkmenistan-on-the-Black-Sea. Yesterday (April 7), Georgian Dream introduced another chapter in its authoritarian playbook — a blitzkrieg-style amendment to the Law on Grants that makes so-called “Russian Law” look like amateur hour. If passed (and they’re fast-tracking it to do precisely that by next week), this law will give the government extensive power to decide who may & may not receive foreign grants — and to punish anyone who doesn’t toe the line with crushing financial and legal consequences.
In other words: civil society, media, watchdogs — you’re either silent, sanctioned, or seized.
Want to receive a grant — better ask the government first
Any organization or individual wanting to receive a foreign grant must submit their draft agreement to the Government of Georgia (or its chosen henchmen). The government then has 10 days to say “yes” or “no.” If they say no — tough luck. You can try to appeal, but the rejection takes effect immediately and won’t wait around for your court case.
Who is exempt — and who is clearly targeted
Grants for international sports, scholarships for studies/science outside Georgia, and grants received directly by international organizations in Georgia are exempt. Everyone else — CSOs, media, watchdogs, community groups — fall under strict scrutiny.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau becomes a surveillance agency in all but name
Under this bill, the Anti-Corruption Bureau — led by Razhden Kuprashvili — is granted sweeping new powers to investigate and punish so-called “prohibited grants.” Think less watchdog, more intelligence agency. Here’s what it can now do:
- Demand financial documents from individuals or organizations, even if there’s just a vague suspicion of a problematic grant.
- Summon private citizens for questioning, including formal interrogations before a magistrate judge.
- Request highly sensitive personal data, including banking information and non-public communications — with court approval that must be processed in under 48 hours.
- Record interrogations with audio and video, including remote questioning via electronic platforms.
- Fine individuals for giving “false” information, even under voluntary questioning, while claiming the interrogation is not coercive.
In short: under the pretext of anti-corruption, this Bureau can now act like a law enforcement agency, a financial regulator, and an intelligence service — all rolled into one, with minimal checks and lightning-fast timelines.
Seizing your bank account — fast and without delay
If the Bureau thinks you might not pay the fine, they can freeze your bank accounts or seize your assets on the spot. They’ll ask the court for confirmation — which must come within 48 hours — but their decision is already in effect. You can appeal once. It won’t help. The appeal won’t suspend the seizure, and the court’s word is final.
Penalties designed to punish, intimidate, and repeat
- If you receive a “prohibited grant”: fined double the grant amount
- If you “lie” during questioning: fined 2,000 GEL
- Do it again? The fine doubles
- Offenses can be punished up to 6 years later
- During elections, courts are forced to rule on these cases within 5 days — again, with final decisions that can’t be appealed
Let’s not forget: just one day before launching this legislative assault, Georgian Dream’s Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, accused the UK government of “interfering” in Georgia’s internal affairs — all because they dared to fund voter education and election observation efforts. According to Papuashvili, a British grant program supporting free and fair elections was part of a grand conspiracy to “change governments and destabilize countries.” He even called the grant “corrupt,” claiming everyone already knows it’ll go to organizations like ISFED. That paranoid outburst wasn’t a coincidence — it was the prelude. The next day, the regime gave itself the legal tools to crush exactly these kinds of programs.
This is political warfare — and we are not leaving the field
This bill isn’t about transparency. It’s about the extermination of dissent. It’s about silencing media, paralyzing civil society, and building a Turkmen-style system in a country that claims to be “European.”
It’s about pushing international donors out of political life — a direct attack on democracy-supporting assistance, at a time when elections are approaching.
It’s about scaring people into inaction.
But here’s what it’s not going to do: erase us.
We will not disappear. We are not afraid.
We have stood firm in darker times, and we will stand firm now.
We will keep speaking, keep working, and keep building the kind of Georgia the Georgian Dream fears most — a democratic one.
As part of this effort, Civic IDEA remains committed to helping others understand what these recent amendments mean — and how they mirror the Russian-style “foreign agent” legislation. We are ready to offer and already offering legal aid, consultations, support, and guidance to anyone seeking clarity or action.
