The Constitutional Court of Georgia rejected the petition to suspend the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence before the court’s final pending decision.
In addition, the Constitutional Court decided to partially accept the lawsuits for a revision.
The Plenum of the Constitutional Court reviewed the case. The Plenum members were Merab Turava, Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze, Teimuraz Tughushi, Manana Kobakhidze, Eva Gotsiridze, Khvicha Kikilashvili, Vasil Roinishvili, Giorgi Tevdorashvili.
President of Georgia, the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information, Rights Georgia, the Civil Society Foundation” and others (a total of 122 plaintiffs), MPs Tamar Kordzaia, Ana Natsvlishvili, Levan Bezhashvili and others (total of 38 MPs), Network of Information Centers and Studio Monitor filed a lawsuit against the Parliament of Georgia.
The authors of the constitutional lawsuits were petitioning to suspend the validity of the disputed norms until the final decision was taken by the Constitutional Court.
The plaintiffs believe that the adoption of the very law contradicts the main principles of the Georgian Constitution and hinders Georgia’s accession to the European Union, thereby violating the obligation defined by Article 78 of the Constitution of Georgia.
The lawsuits find the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence disputable in defining the registration rule of a subject as an organization pursuing foreign interests and transparency of its activities.
The plaintiffs argue that the terminology and other repressive mechanisms as in the law cause stigmatization of civic organizations and media outlets, obstruct their activities and goals and would lead to the termination of their functioning.
