US State Department Spokesperson: Georgian Gov’t moving in ‘deeply disturbing direction’

The Georgian government is moving in a “very deeply disturbing direction,” away from the Euro-Atlantic path desired by its people, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told Voice of America on Tuesday.

He highlighted concerns over Georgia’s Transparency of Foreign Influence Law, initiated by Georgia’s ruling party and passed in May amid large protests, which the US fears could be enforced against civil society organizations and independent media that have refused to register voluntarily.

Miller also said the Secretary of State Antony Blinken had initiated a review of the US-Georgia relations, leading to visa restrictions on dozens of Georgian officials and the suspension of $95 million in aid. He suggested that additional measures could follow.

With the September 2 deadline for voluntary registration under the Ministry of Justice’s special registry now passed, the Financial Monitoring Department is authorized to inspect and fine organizations that did not register under the controversial legislation. The organizations, which have refused to register, will also be unilaterally registered.

So far, 476 organizations, which obtain more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad, have registered as pursuant of foreign interests.