Council of Europe Sec.-Gen.: Georgian authorities promised to amend 'foreign agents' law

Georgian authorities have promised to amend the "foreign agents" law that triggered a wave of protests in the country, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset said at a press conference in Tbilisi.

He said that a joint working group with the Council of Europe will be created to determine the amendments.

"I welcome the Georgian government's assurances that amendments will be made to the law on so-called foreign influence. We will now create a working group with experts from Georgia and the Council of Europe, as well as the Venice Commission, to determine the changes that will be made to this law," he noted.

Recall that under the adopted law, the Georgian Ministry of Justice created a special registry for registering foreign-funded non-governmental organizations. As of September 1, 320 NGOs have already applied for registration. Failure to register or submit declarations within the established deadlines is subject to a fine of 25,000 lari ($9,200).