Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili has defended the country’s Law on Transparency, saying it helped prevent the implementation of “hidden plans” by groups that, in her words, act under the guise of civil society while pursuing destructive goals.
Speaking on Imedi LIVE, Bochorishvili argued that the law has been misrepresented by its critics and that it serves to strengthen, not weaken, democratic institutions. “We must distinguish between genuine civil society and what we are seeing today. These organizations are not its face. They are financed from various sources and act with destructive intent,” she said.
The minister insisted that transparency ensures accountability and donor protection. “If their goal is truly to promote democracy in Georgia, what is there to hide? There is no logic in an organization acting in good faith trying to conceal its activities,” she added. According to her, the transparency law has already “prevented the realization of hidden plans” that could have undermined Georgia’s democratic order.
Bochorishvili dismissed accusations that the legislation restricts civic freedoms, describing it instead as a safeguard against manipulation. “Everything being done under the banner of defending democracy, when it aims to damage democratic order, cannot be called democratic,” she said.
Her remarks come amid ongoing domestic divisions and Western criticism of the law, which obliges NGOs and media outlets receiving over 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “organizations pursuing the interests of a foreign power.” Supporters say the measure aligns with Western transparency standards, while opponents warn it echoes Russia’s ‘foreign agents’ law, long condemned by human rights groups.
The issue continues to shape Georgian politics following last year’s presidential transition. Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as president in December 2024, though former president Salome Zourabichvili and several opposition parties dispute the election’s legitimacy and claim the transfer of power was unconstitutional. The Transparency Law remains one of the most divisive symbols of that broader political crisis.
“Transparency is not a threat to democracy-it is the condition for its survival,” Bochorishvili said, framing the legislation as a cornerstone of national sovereignty rather than a restriction on civic life.
