EU urges Georgia to drop controversial foreign agent law
- 13 April, 09:26
The draft law on foreign agents, proposed by the ruling Georgia Dream party had drawn criticism from the country’s Western allies.
Council of Europe commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty expressed his concern over the direction Georgia was headed in a letter sent to the speaker of the Georgian parliament, Shalva Papuashvili on April 11.
“I am concerned about the inconsistency of the ‘Dream’ initiative with human rights standards, freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of expression, including the negative impact that the adoption of the draft law may have on the work of the media and civil society organizations, especially those dealing with human rights, democracy, and the rule of law,” the letter reads.
Michael O’Flaherty stated that if the law is passed, its implementation is likely to lead to the stigmatization and discrediting of NGOs and media receiving foreign funding.
“This may hinder or make their activities impossible. The legal framework regulating the legitimate activities of non-profit organizations should include provisions that are non-discriminatory and should always be based on clear and impartial standards of transparency and accountability, regardless of the sources of their funding,” the Council of Europe commissioner states in the letter.
The bill will be considered in the first reading in the Georgian parliament on April 16. Proposed by the ruling party last year, the draft law was dropped due to mass protests after it was passed by the parliament in the first reading, only to be reintroduced in early April this year. The controversial law suggests that any individual or entity who receives over twenty percent of their funding from abroad shall be regarded as foreign agent. The ruling party argues that the lack of transparency of the non-government organizations pose a security threat to Georgia.
