A total of 121 non-governmental and media organizations in Georgia are filing a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court to challenge the country's 'foreign agents' law. The law, known as the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, requires NGOs and media organizations that receive over 20% of their funding from foreign grants to register as 'foreign agents' subject to increased scrutiny. The organizations also plan to submit a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. The law has faced protests and criticism from Western partners and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. Critics argue that the law creates a hostile environment for exercising rights such as freedom of association and expression. The Georgian government argues that the law is necessary to protect the country from foreign influence. President Salome Zourabichvili and the opposition also plan to challenge the law in the Constitutional Court. The law is set to come into effect by September 2024 [1a2bb53c] [552fcbb3].
