Georgia's controversial foreign agents law challenged by the opposition at the Constitutional Court
Georgia's largest opposition party, the United National Movement, challenged at the Constitutional Court the country's controversial "foreign agents" law, reports the Georgian newsroom of Radio Free Europe. The document was signed by thirty-two parliamentarians on July 22. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, a staunch critic of the law, filed a similar appeal back on July 16.
The signatories claim that the law is inspired by a legislative initiative adopted by the State Duma of the Russian Federation and which blocks the activity of organizations partially financed from external sources. The argument of the government in Tbilisi is that it wants to control foreign influence, including that of Moscow.
We remind you that the law caused a wave of street protests in Tbilisi, and President Salome Zurabishvili did not promulgate it. However, the parliamentary majority, represented by the ruling Georgian Dream party, overrode the veto and left the law in place on June 4. The fact jeopardized Georgia's aspirations to join the European Union. Georgia only has the status of a candidate country, although it submitted an application for membership at the same time as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
On July 9, the European Union's ambassador to Georgia announced that the country's membership of the EU bloc had been "frozen". Similarly, 30 million euros were blocked, funds intended for the Georgian Ministry of Defense.
