Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili has signed a legislative package adopted by Parliament on March 4, introducing a series of restrictive amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses. The laws were signed the same day they were passed and have already entered into force after being published on the Legislative Herald.
The amendments, adopted under an accelerated procedure, include changes to the Law on Grants, the Law on Political Associations of Citizens, and several provisions in criminal and administrative legislation. Under the new rules, several actions have become criminal offenses, including the non-recognition of constitutional bodies, violations of the law on grants, political activity by business entities, and failure by political parties to submit declarations.
One of the key changes introduces an aggravating circumstance for crimes committed with the motive of rejecting the constitutional order or constitutional institutions, which can add an additional year of imprisonment to the main sentence. The Criminal Code’s money laundering provision (Article 194) was also amended to include a new aggravating factor when the offense is committed to finance political activity related to Georgian political issues, carrying a penalty of 9 to 12 years in prison.
A new criminal article has also been added that envisages up to three years of imprisonment, a fine, or corrective labor for repeatedly engaging in actions such as public calls for mass violations of the law, calls for mass disobedience to authorities, attempts to create alternative governing bodies, or falsely presenting oneself or another person as a representative of authority.
The legislation also penalizes systematic actions aimed at promoting the perception that constitutional bodies are illegitimate, if such actions are deemed harmful to the country’s interests. In addition to individuals, legal entities may face fines or even liquidation, while administrative offenses will carry harsher penalties if committed with the motive of rejecting constitutional institutions.
