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