Deputy Justice Minister: 360 organisations have applied to be listed in registry of organisations pursuing interests of foreign power

Tamar Tkeshelashvili, the First Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, on Friday said 360 organisations had applied for registration in the registry of organisations pursuing interests of foreign power at the National Agency of Public Registry of the Ministry, the latest data showed.

Tkeshelashvili, the curator of the Registry, made the comment in a session of the ongoing Constitutional Court hearings of lawsuits submitted against the law, and said the number of applications from organisations submitted to the Registry had increased by 127, compared to the 233 applications received earlier in the morning.

The Court began hearings on Thursday over four lawsuits challenging the law passed by the Parliament in May, which requires non-commercial entities and media outlets in the country to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

The Deputy Minister emphasised compliance with the law “does not create any danger” for the organisations.

The four lawsuits against the law include submissions by President Salome Zourabichvili, 112 non-governmental organisations 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.