Shame Movement to register in Foreign Influence Registry

The Georgian NGO Shame movement, the largest civil movement in the country, on Friday announced its decision to register in the newly established Foreign Influence Registry. In a video shared on its Facebook page, the organization says the only way to abolish “Russian law” is by government change through the October 26 parliamentary elections.

The video further emphasized that the legal penalties for not registering in the registry are too high and they might have to stop operating in case fines are imposed. The activists also emphasized that each organization must independently decide whether to register based on what best serves their mission and objectives.

“We decided to register because our primary goal is to ensure that we are fully prepared for the upcoming parliamentary elections in October. This includes maintaining our organization and resources without facing fines or paying those fines to the government,” Giorgi Mzhavanadze, the Executive Director of the movement said.

Georgia’s Constitutional Court is now reviewing four lawsuits against the law on Foreign Influence Transparency, which is labeled as a “Russian law” by domestic actors, allegedly impeding the country’s European integration. The law obliges local NGOs and media organizations to register as pursuants of foreign influence if they receive more than 20 percent of their incomes from abroad.

Opposition MP Tamar Kordzaia slammed the Shame movement for its decision, saying their actions are ’’shameful.” She added that the organization is also not among the plaintiffs, fighting against the ’’Russian law.”

Kordzaia explained that fines for organizations not registered in the registry will begin to be imposed from September 3. Therefore, she believes the Constitutional Court must make its decision before that deadline.