Georgia's illegitimate Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, stated that the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents will soon be fully implemented. He also linked this process to the appointment of Anri Okhanashvili as Minister of Justice.
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“The law is not fully implemented at this stage. It was the pre-election period, and there was a serious risk that someone could use the full implementation of this law to speculate against the elections. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice adopted a softer approach, which had a concrete basis,” said Irakli Kobakhidze.
When asked when the forced registration of media and non-governmental organizations that voluntarily refused to register would begin, Kobakhidze responded:
“In reality, this process should probably begin soon because the transparency of these NGOs is important for our country and our state interests. A new Minister of Justice has just been appointed,” said Kobakhidze.
The Russian Law, currently being challenged in the European Court of Human Rights, declares all non-governmental and media organizations that receive more than 20% of their income from grants by international organizations as “foreign power interests” and requires them to register.
A registered entity is required to complete and submit a financial declaration to the National Agency for Public Registry. Refusal to register as an “organization that represents foreign power interests” or failure to submit a financial declaration within the prescribed period will result in a fine of 25 000 GEL. Failure to correct deficiencies identified during the submission will lead to a fine of 10 000 GEL, and in the case of a repeat offense, a fine of 20 000 GEL. The fine does not exempt the organization from fulfilling the requirements of the law.
In order to identify an “organization representing the interests of a foreign power” or to verify compliance with any requirement of the law, the Head of the Financial Declaration Department of the National Agency for Public Registry has the right to conduct monitoring at any time and to obtain the necessary information, including personal data and confidential information. All persons, bodies, organizations, and institutions to whom the Head of the Financial Declaration Department addresses are obliged to immediately submit the requested information, or they will be fined 5000 GEL.
If, as a result of monitoring, it is revealed that an entity meets the criteria for an “organization representing the interests of a foreign power” but has avoided registration, the Agency will register the entity in the so-called Agents Register. Registration does not exempt the organization from a fine.
The Georgian Dream adopted the Russian law on May 28, 2024, overruling the presidential veto, amid public outcry and criticism from the country's international partners. As a result, the European Union de facto suspended Georgia's accession process, and the United States began a comprehensive review of its relations with Georgia.
