Georgia’s Constitutional Court starts hearing of lawsuit against controversial foreign influence law

Georgia’s Constitutional Court began hearings on Thursday over four lawsuits challenging the controversial Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, passed by the Parliament in May and requiring non-commercial entities and media outlets to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

The ruling Georgian Dream party, which introduced the bill for the second time in April after it withdrew the initial version following protests last year, has defended the law as a “measure to increase transparency” and “prevent foreign interference” in domestic politics.

Givi Mikanadze, a GD MP, on Thursday said lawmakers of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, who he said were designated defendants in any constitutional lawsuit, would attend the court proceedings. He also noted GD MPs would not be present as their participation was deemed unnecessary.

Opposition parties have criticised the legislative piece as a "Russian law" and called for a “fair judicial review”, expressing concerns the law could hinder Georgia’s European integration efforts.

Acceptance into the EU is not a process where we simply knock and expect the door to open automatically. We have the opportunity, but the law proved to be a barrier. The suspension of the controversial law will not cause harm, it may only irritate some individuals”, Eka Beselia, an opposition member and the President’s representative in the process said on Thursday. 

The four lawsuits against the law include submissions by President Salome Zourabichvili, 112 NGOs and media organisations, 38 opposition MPs, and two additional media groups. 

They argue the law infringes on rights to personal development, privacy, and freedom of information, and conflicts with Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration goals.

The European Union and the United States have also expressed disapproval of the law, leading to suspension or delay of several aid packages to Georgia. GD has labelled the actions as “unfair”. 

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in May asserted the law would provide “strong guarantees” for long-term peace and stability in Georgia, which he claimed was “essential” for the country’s EU integration.