Majority of NGOs in Georgia refuse to register as 'foreign agents' under new law

The registration window for organisations to declare themselves 'foreign agents' under a controversial new law closed on 2 September.

Transcript

00:00The 30-day registration period for Georgia's Transparency of Foreign Influence law ended

00:06on the 2nd of September.

00:09Out of approximately 30,000 NGOs operating in the country, only 469, or about 1.5%, registered

00:18themselves on the so-called foreign agent base.

00:22The vast majority refused to comply, claiming the law is inspired by Russian models which

00:27threaten freedom of speech and democracy.

00:33Critics argue that the controversial law enables government overreach and imposes severe penalties

00:39on non-compliant groups.

00:42These penalties include an initial fine of just over 8,000 euros, followed by a monthly

00:47fine of roughly 6,712 euros.

01:17The law, which passed despite mass protests, is now being challenged in the Constitutional

01:30Court.

01:31Over 100 organizations are in dispute over its infringement on human rights, while President

01:37Zorabishvili claims it violates Georgia's constitutional commitment to European and

01:42NATO integration.

01:43While the legal challenges continue, Georgia is gearing up for parliamentary elections

02:07on the 26th of October.

02:10Major opposition parties have expressed their intention to repeal the law if elected, while

02:16the ruling party maintains its position that the law only serves to improve transparency

02:20and accountability in Georgia.