Georgia's Parliament Speaker Addresses European Council Human Rights Commissioner's Concerns Over Foreign Agents Bill
On February 22, Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, wrote an open letter to Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, expressing concern over the draft law "On transparency of foreign influence."
On March 3, Shalva Papuashvili published a response on his Facebook page to the open letter of Dunja Mijatović. Speaker Papuashvili affirmed Georgia's dedication to the basic principles of the Convention and democratic ideals, which have laid the groundwork for a vibrant and powerful civil society in the nation. He stated the domestically dominant party's case. According to him, one is an identical replica of the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), while the other is a less onerous, liberal version of FARA when defending the proposed legislation. The Speaker also assured the commissioner that parliamentary talks would be held in order to establish a version that ensures the independence of the Georgian civil society.
He stated that Georgian citizens have a right to information about the actors that impact their lives and that the civil sector's regulatory framework is less transparent and accountable than political parties and government organizations, including when it comes to foreign funding. Speaker Papuashvili then brought up security-related concerns, such as money laundering, corruption, terrorist financing, and other risks mandated by the complex regional security context, which the new law may address.
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