A third lawsuit against the law on foreign agents has been filed with the Constitutional Court of Georgia. The authors are 38 opposition members of the parliament. Earlier, similar actions were taken by President Salome Zurabishvili and 121 Georgian NGOs.
All the applicants demand that the “pro-Russian” law be repealed because it contradicts Article 78 of the Constitution. It states that constitutional bodies, within the limits of their authority, must take all measures to ensure Georgia’s full integration into the EU and NATO.
“The said law is unconstitutional. The lawsuit also challenges a number of provisions of the law that violate a number of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” said the President’s Parliamentary Secretary Giorgi Mskhiladze.
Today, the speaker of the Georgian parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, one of the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, noted that Georgia has adhered to a policy of strategic patience towards Russia since 2008, following the advice of Western partners. According to him, in February 2022, Western partners called on Georgia to impose sanctions against Russia and thereby pushed for escalation.
“If this had happened, we would have had an economic decline of -18%,” he said.
Earlier, the European Union suspended Georgia’s accession process. In addition, it was announced that 30 million euros intended to support the country's defense sector would be frozen. The United States also imposed visa restrictions on individuals who, in Washington’s opinion, are responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia. In addition, Washington refused to hold military exercises with Tbilisi. The adoption of the law on foreign agents was one of the reasons for such steps.
