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In 2024, the government of Georgia faced a series of sweeping decisions from foreign governments and institutions to suspend financial and development aid to the country for the first time since its independence. Although during COVID-19 some organizations reported having difficulties accessing foreign funding, the scale and scope of these decisions were unprecedented. The suspension of aid was in response to the Georgian parliament approving a controversial Foreign Agent Law and, as such, the country’s democratic backsliding. Additionally, instead of supporting the government of Georgia (GoG) and the government-linked initiatives, the activities of international development agencies shifted to supporting the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) instead. 

The decision to halt aid was downplayed but also criticized by the ruling Georgian Dream members and government officials. Popular unrest, which started last year in response to the adoption of the law, has continued since then. It is not just the foreign agent law driving the protests, however, but also the results of the contested October 2024 parliamentary elections in which the ruling Georgian Dream secured victory and the ruling government’s decision in November 2024 to suspend the country’s bid for EU membership until 2028. 

Tensions remain high as Georgians continue protesting daily, not without disproportionate and violent police intervention and continued arrests. There are no signs of the government taking a step back. 

From fast-forwarding the EU bid to postponing it

On October 26, 2024, the ruling Georgian Dream party retained its parliamentary majority in an electoral process that raised allegations of fraud. International observers, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), highlighted an uneven playing field and voter intimidation before and on the day of the vote. The results sparked widespread public outrage, leading to daily demonstrations, sometimes with tens of thousands of participants, gathering periodically in front of the parliament in the capital, Tbilisi, and other locations, as well as in other cities, demanding the annulment of the election results and the scheduling of fresh, transparent elections.

The disputed election results strained Georgia's relationships with international partners, complicating efforts to advance reforms tied to EU and NATO aspirations, and gradually diminished Western aid, which supported the country's civil society and media.

In what was already a tense political climate, on November 30, 2024, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the contentious decision to suspend EU accession talks until 2028. This decision triggered a renewed wave of protests, drawing thousands of Georgians to gather nightly outside the parliament building to voice their discontent. 

Georgia formally applied for European Union (EU) membership in March 2022. The move represented a U-turn for the ruling party, which had insisted it would not accelerate its initial timeline of 2024. The shift was largely driven by increasing pressure from the domestic opposition, as well as thousands of protesters who participated in a “March for Europe.” This was organized by Georgia's Shame movement and other pro-democracy groups in a bid to “demonstrate the commitment of Georgian people to its European choice and Western values.” In June 2022, Georgia's candidate status was denied, and the state was given a list of 12 conditions to be fulfilled before their application could be reexamined. These included reducing political polarization, reforming the judiciary, ensuring functioning state institutions, and strengthening anti-corruption measures, including de-oligarchization.

Then, in December 2023, Georgia was finally granted this status following an EU Council meeting. That decision came, however, amid a growing rift between Georgia's government and Western allies, as well as the local civil society groups insisting that the government had failed to fulfill the 12 priority conditions.

Rather than fulfilling these conditions, the government drifted further away while cracking down on freedoms and human rights with violent dispersals of protests, attacks on the independent media, and a widening rift between society and state leadership. The country’s deteriorating track record on rights and freedoms culminated with the adoption of the foreign agent law or, as it is officially known, “the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence,” in May 2024. It is similar to Russia's 2012 “foreign agent” law, which has infamously been used to crush dissent and opposition in Russia. 

The international community and national organizations suspended their course of action and refrained from making radical decisions such as closing their operations or registering in third countries, waiting for a more benevolent operating environment. Still, the subsequent ministerial orders, aimed at implementing the regulations, maintained the restrictive spirit of the law, regardless of the social or political purpose of the organization. 

Similar to the restrictions adopted by Azerbaijan (2014) and Kyrgyzstan (2024), the “Georgian Foreign Agent Law” mandates that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources register as “agents of foreign influence.” The regulation also imposes stringent restrictions, making it nearly impossible for organizations to receive anonymous donations. 

In response to the government’s decision to move forward with the bill, the violent crackdown on protesters, and the lack of cooperation, the United States suspended USD 95 million in aid, the European Union froze GBP 30 million in military assistance, and national NGOs postponed their fundraising activities. Both US and EU financial aid and assistance are important resources for the Georgian economy — international assistance has accounted for between 1.5 percent (2022) and 4 percent (2020) of Georgia's GDP. 

With such significant support, local NGOs have played a crucial role in promoting political and economic transparency, advocating for democratic reforms, and fostering civic engagement. On the ground, Nino (not her real name), the director of a grant-based NGO supporting vulnerable populations in Georgia, said she “would rather shut down operations than be labelled a foreign agent.” Another leader of an NGO, one dedicated to caring for street dogs, suspended fundraising activities because of the administrative obstacles involved in registering even local donations.

The aforementioned partial suspension of U.S. assistance has not only led to the pause of hundreds of grants to Georgian beneficiaries and other types of support but has also led to an almost complete discontinuation of interaction between the government of Georgia and US agencies and other relevant institutions. As the head of the local representation of one such international NGO noted in an interview with Global Voices, “We have been advised to not only no longer attend government-organized events, but avoid events where we anticipate anyone from the GOG to be in attendance as well.” The Georgian representative of another international NGO, which has already registered as a “foreign agent,” expressed concerns that their support for agribusiness might be perceived by authorities as a mere facade.

Last October, before the parliamentary election described as a crucial and pivotal vote in the country's history, hopes were high, but the results were disappointing. The slowdown in the humanitarian sector momentarily spread to other industries on January 15, during a three-hour general strike from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., as thousands of employees of banks, pharmacies, retail stores, restaurants, and telecommunications firms temporarily shut down operations in a unified call for new and fair parliamentary elections and reiterating their demands for the release of individuals arrested during previous protests.

Foreign assistance is dwindling with each passing day in Georgia, particularly following President Trump administration's decision — welcomed by the Georgian government — to suspend USAID activities worldwide for up to 90 days, while the agency is absorbed by the State Department and potentially cancels a significant number of existing programs. 

Meanwhile, activity on the streets of Tbilisi is becoming more and more agitated, with demonstrators often erecting barricades and clashing with riot police, who respond with water cannons, tear gas, and pepper spray to disperse the crowds. The ongoing unrest has resulted in numerous arrests and injuries, including among journalists. In its most recent attempt to instill fear, the government introduced amendments to administrative offenses and the criminal code by increasing detention periods and fines as well as toughening punishments.