Georgian Parliament official: US Senator’s push to tighten FARA exposes double standards against Georgia

Archil Gorduladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, on Saturday accused US Senator Jim Risch of hypocrisy for sponsoring a bill to strengthen the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) while criticising Georgia’s similar law.

Gorduladze’s comments addressed the US Senate bill (S.3050) aimed at amending the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938, co-sponsored by Senator Jim Risch.

In his remarks, the official highlighted what he perceived as inconsistent standards, noting that Risch, known for statements critical of Georgia, supported tightening FARA in the US while Georgia’s equivalent law faced backlash from Western officials, including EU Ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński.

“We have seen the conclusion of the Venice Commission, which criticises the US FARA law and its exact equivalent in Georgia. At the same time, we heard criticism from Paweł Herczyński, while in the United States, a person [Senator Jim Risch] distinguished by statements against Georgia’s interests is calling for the tightening of this law”, he said.

Gorduladze further argued that such actions reflected a double standard, as Georgia faced condemnation for adopting legislation akin to FARA, which was deemed essential in the United States.

“This is a double standard: when a law is deemed important for the American people, it is somehow unacceptable for it to be adopted in Georgia, and it is portrayed as a betrayal of democratic principles and a step backward. We can boldly say that, based on Paweł Herczyński’s statements, he is criticising not the law in Georgia but the one in force in the United States”, he concluded.