TBILISI: “Georgian President Files Lawsuit Against Foreign Agent Law”, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Monday (Jul 15) she had filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court against a law requiring groups that receive funding from abroad to register as foreign agents, which sparked mass protests.
Zourabichvili reposted comments on Facebook by her representative in parliament saying the law violated a clause in the Georgian constitution requiring the government to take all possible efforts to join the European Union and NATO.
“The EU has suspended Georgia’s integration process with the bloc after parliament overrode President Zourabichvili’s veto to pass the controversial foreign agent law in June. This move reflects concerns over democratic standards and rule of law in Georgia.”
The law requires organisations receiving more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, with stringent disclosure requirements and punitive fines for violators.
“Georgian and Western critics denounce it as draconian, aimed at stifling dissent and inspired by Russian legislation. The ruling Georgian Dream party defends it as necessary to safeguard Georgia’s sovereignty.”
