Transparency International Georgia on Monday announced its decision to reject registration under the controversial Foreign Influence Transparency Law requiring organizations to register as entities serving foreign interests if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
Eka Gigauri, the organization’s Director, emphasized that adopting “Russian laws” in Georgia had failed and would continue to fail.
“Transparency International Georgia is not going to register. We are not going to live by ‘Russian laws’ in Georgia,” Gigauri said. She expressed confidence in the resilience of Georgia’s civil sector, noting that less than one percent of organizations had chosen to comply with the registration requirement.
Gigauri highlighted the primary focus for Transparency International Georgia at this time was monitoring the upcoming, October 26 general elections. “The most important thing for us today is the elections, observing the elections, and we will definitely do it together with our partners,” she added.
The deadline for registration under the law expired on Monday, amid discussions of four lawsuits in the Constitutional Court against the legislation.
Georgia’s foreign allies condemned the bill as an impediment on the country’s EU integration process and halted or postponed several aid packages.
