Georgian NGOs Boycott State Registry in Hopes of Saakashvili's Return

Two months have passed since the Georgian law "On Counteracting Foreign Influence," referred to by the country's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as the "Russian Foreign Agents Law," came into effect. The law requires all Georgian NGOs receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register with the Ministry of Justice, report annually on their sources of income and the objectives of their projects, and face the threat of administrative or criminal liability if they fail to comply. However, in the two months since the law came into force, only 1.5% of NGOs in Georgia have registered with the Ministry of Justice, according to Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of "Strong Georgia," who shared this information online. "I salute everyone who refused to live by Russian rules and laws. Georgia is Georgia, not Russia!" he wrote.

Among those refusing to comply are NGOs such as "Selfless Blood Donors," the "International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy," and the Women's Rights Organization "Sapari," which stated that it does not intend to register in a registry created by the state based on the Russian law. "Like the overwhelming majority of other Georgian NGOs, we continue to fight for justice. We will not accept being prohibited from helping women and children. We continue to work and assist people who are again facing violence," stated "Sapari."

According to the country's Ministry of Justice, around 360 organizations have submitted applications for registration in the "foreign agents" registry.

The boycott of the law is also explained by the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia, where on October 26, the people will once again choose between Ivanishvili's party and the coalition of parties under the banner of former President Saakashvili. Georgian public activists are confident that if Saakashvili's political force returns to power, the "Transparency..." law will be repealed.

"As soon as we come to power, we, together with our coalition partners, will work on canceling pension loans, providing free meals for children in schools, and creating Mikheil Saakashvili's billion-dollar fund, which will bring Georgian mothers and grandmothers back to the country," stated Tina Bokuchava, the chairwoman of the "United National Movement."