Georgian NGOs to apply to Constitutional Court, ECHR for suspension of articles of transparency law

A group of Georgian-based non-governmental organisations have announced their intention to ask the country’s Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights to suspend “controversial articles” of the recently adopted law on transparency of foreign influence.

Representatives of several NGOs made the announcement on Thursday, saying they would “use every internal and international mechanism to hinder [the law’s] operation until the end of its unconditional termination”.

They also said the Court could use its constitutional power to suspend the operation of the articles, adding they would “use alternative legal ways” if the body did not “act promptly”.

The group have also urged “all NGOs and media that could be affected by the law” to “join the fight” against the legislative piece that requires registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. 

The Georgian Parliament on May 14 adopted the law amid ongoing rallies in capital Tbilisi and critical statements by international partners of the country.

President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed the bill on May 18, before the Parliament overrode the veto with 84 votes against four on Tuesday, on the backdrop of ongoing public protests.