“Main organiser” of rallies against foreign transparency law “proved” legislation “not Russian” - PM

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Prime Minister of Georgia and the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party election staff, on Wednesday said the Shame civil movement, which he called the “main organiser” of public rallies against the law on transparency of foreign influence, had “proven” by its actions that the legislation was “not Russian,” in reference to the label used by the opposition against the law.

Reacting to the movement’s actions, which in late August included registering as a foreign influence entity under the law and later revoking the decision due to criticism, Kobakhidze claimed it had “misled the public for three months” by presenting the bill as aligned with a similar Russian law.

The notion that this is a Russian law is a complete fabrication, as I have repeatedly emphasised. This law is Georgian and simply promotes transparency with minimal requirements. Organisations are required to submit declarations only once a year. Over 450 organisations have complied, further disproving the false claims about this being a Russian law”, he said during a briefing at the party office.

Calling the movement “shameful”, the official asserted by its actions, it had “admitted” the legislation did not stigmatise or restrict organisations.

Georgian PM: Shame Movement “proves to be shame itself”

In a video posted on their Facebook page on August 30, members of the Shame movement discussed their decision to register under the law, which requires 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.

They also said the current version of the text of the law had removed the "agent" status for subject organisations that had been used in the initial bill proposed by the ruling party last year.

Giorgi Mzhavanadze, the movement’s head, further explained the decision to register had been made to “preserve the organisation’s future and to avoid potential fines”, as well as to prepare for the upcoming parliamentary elections in October.

Following criticism on social media, the opposition, and domestic non-governmental organisations, the movement revoked its decision the following day, with Mzhavanadze resigning from his post. 

The movement also expressed regret about their initial decision, acknowledging they may have “failed to fully assess its consequences” and emphasising the importance of critical feedback from citizens and associates.