Ruling party Sec Gen claims Venice Commission’s opinion on controversial law “saturated with political messages”
Kaladze’s comments came after the Commission on Tuesday “strongly” recommended the Georgian Government to repeal the controversial law. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday claimed the opinion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on the Georgian law on transparency of foreign influence “confirmed” there were “no legal or other arguments against the law”.
Kaladze’s comments came after the Commission on Tuesday “strongly” recommended the Georgian Government to repeal the controversial law.
The party official said the Commission had presented “an opinion saturated with political messages”.
Unfortunately, the Venice Commission, instead of a legal reasoning, presented us a politically biased assessment that has distorted the facts and told us that the law should be repealed, although it did not consider it necessary to provide a legal substantiation or a substantive argument”, he said.
“The Venice Commission comes out with a recommendation that Georgia should not demand transparency of civil organisations and media - it turns out that this is all an undemocratic action. All this is incredible. Georgian citizens expected reasoned, professional judgement and specific arguments from the Venice Commission, but instead we received political messages”, he concluded.
Salome Kurasbediani, a member of the parliamentary majority from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday claimed the opinion of the Commission had “once again confirmed” that there were “no legal arguments” against the law.
Salome Kurasbediani, a member of the parliamentary majority from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday claimed that today’s opinion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on the domestic law on transparency of foreign influence “once again confirmed” that there were “no legal arguments” against the transparency law.
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe “strongly recommends” the Georgian Government repealing the domestic law on transparency of foreign influence in its current form, as its “fundamental flaws” would involve “significant negative consequences” for the freedoms of association and expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs, as well as the prohibition of discrimination.
Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker Archil Talakvadze on Tuesday said the country needed the “same protection mechanisms” that existed in the European Union, in comments over the controversial domestic law on transparency of foreign influence.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said votes by a majority of citizens of the country, “not foreign actors”, would decide on whether the Government in the country should be changed.