EU: "We are concerned about the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau’s decision ahead of the parliamentary elections"
EU criticizes pressure on NGOs in Georgia
In response to a question from the Georgian television company Formula, European Union representative Peter Stano stated that the EU is concerned about the decision made by the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau, which designated the organizations Transparency International-Georgia and “Choose Europe” as “entities with electoral goals.”
On September 24, the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau designated the local office of the international organization Transparency International (TI-Georgia) and the civic movement “Choose Europe,” along with their leaders Eka Gigauri and Khatuna Lagazidze, as entities with “declared electoral goals.”
This means they will be subject to restrictions outlined in the law on “Political Associations of Citizens.” These organizations and their leaders must submit financial reports for the relevant reporting period to the bureau within five days. They are also required to provide information about the bank accounts used for income and expenses related to their electoral goals.
Peter Stano emphasizes the importance of civil society in democratic countries and urges the Georgian government to restore a favorable environment for the activities of civil society organizations.
“We are concerned about the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s decision ahead of the parliamentary elections on October 26. There is only one month left to appeal this decision.
Civil society organizations play an extremely important role in democratic countries, particularly in the context of elections and their monitoring. We fully support a free and open civil society in Georgia and reiterate our call for the government to restore a favorable environment for civil society organizations.
In particular, we again urge the Georgian authorities to ensure the full political and operational independence of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, taking into account the key recommendations of the Venice Commission in this regard,” Stano said.
