The US on Thursday announced a new visa restriction policy for the South Caucasus republic of Georgia after its government passed a controversial law on the disclosure of foreign funding.
"The Department of State is implementing a new visa restriction policy for Georgia that will apply to individuals who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
"This includes individuals responsible for suppressing civil society and freedom of peaceful assembly in Georgia through a campaign of violence or intimidation."
Despite weeks of mass protests, the Georgian government last week approved a law which seeks to limit foreign influence on non-governmental organizations, tightening accountability for aid organizations and independent media that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
Opponents of the bill fear that it could be used to target dissidents, following the example of an internationally criticized law against foreign agents in Russia.
Blinken said that the law introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party "would stifle the exercise of freedoms of association and expression, stigmatize organizations that serve the citizens of Georgia, and impede independent media organizations working to provide Georgians with access to high quality information."
Blinken also cited "clear indications of a campaign of intimidation and the use of violence to suppress peaceful dissent," adding that both the law and the "repressive tactics... undermine Georgia's democracy and the fundamental freedoms to which the Georgian people are entitled."
The secretary of state said that Washington would also review its bilateral cooperation with Tbilisi.
"It remains our hope that Georgia's leaders will reconsider the draft law and take steps to move forward with their nation's democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. As we review the relationship between our two countries, we will take into account Georgia's actions in deciding our own."
The law is not yet in force. Pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has vetoed it, though her veto can be overruled by parliament.
The EU has also sharply criticized the law and warned that it could set it back in its efforts to become a member of the bloc.