121 Georgian NGOs, media organizations file constitutional lawsuit against foreign influence law

At a briefing held at the office of the Civil Society Foundation on Wednesday, 121 Georgian non-governmental and media organizations announced their decision to file a constitutional lawsuit against the controversial foreign influence transparency law, initiated and adopted by Georgia’s ruling party in May.

Alongside the lawsuit, the organizations have demanded the suspension of the implementation of the unconstitutional norms included in the  law as a temporary measure.

“We continue the legal battle against the Russian law by appealing to the Constitutional Court. As a temporary measure, until the court’s final decision, we demand the suspension of the unconstitutional norms of the law,” said Giorgi Davituri, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information representative. 

Davituri noted that the constitutional lawsuit “clearly confirmed” that the law violated the right of individuals to unite with like-minded people for good causes and to help others. He assessed that by adopting the law, the government was creating a “hostile and degrading environment, threatening the enjoyment of association, expression, and other rights and freedoms”.

The organizations welcomed the decision of the President and Georgian parliamentarians to challenge the law in relation to Article 78 of the Constitution.

The plaintiffs hoped that the Constitutional Court would act swiftly to suspend the unconstitutional provisions of the law.

Davituri also mentioned that they were preparing a complaint to be submitted to the European Court of Human Rights. Despite calls from international partners, the Georgian Parliament override the President’s veto on the bill on May 28. This law designates all non-governmental and media organizations receiving funding from abroad, frequently from the country’s strategic partners as carriers of foreign influence interests.

Following the adoption of the law, part of the aid to Georgia was halted by the European Union, and the US postponed Noble Partner military exercises indefinitely.