Georgian Parliament Speaker on Venice Commission: they do not dare say US FARA violates rule of law, but condemn it in Georgia

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday criticised the recent recommendation by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, which urged the Georgian Government to revoke its legislation modeled after the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

The Commission stated that the law was posing a threat to the rule of law in Georgia.

In his remarks, Papuashvili accused the Venice Commission of abandoning its legal objectivity and becoming a body that issues politically motivated opinions rather than legal assessments.

“It has been a long time since we’ve seen this trend - unfortunately, for several years now, the Venice Commission has completely changed its practice”, the Speaker told reporters.

“Previously, the Commission provided clear legal conclusions, but now we see political conclusions and political reports. This latest opinion is the best example that the Venice Commission has turned into a body producing political, not legal, assessments”, he continued.

The Speaker questioned why the Commission criticises Georgia’s adoption of a law similar to one that already exists in the United States.

“When they talk about FARA, which is effective in the United States, they don’t dare to say that it contradicts the rule of law there. The Venice Commission would never accuse the US of that. They say, ‘yes, it exists in the US, but if it operates in Georgia, we oppose it’. They should at least have the courage to say that the same law threatens the rule of law in America. Any lawyer can clearly see that this is a political conclusion and has nothing to do with the Commission’s original legal mission”, Papuashvili stressed.

Addressing the Commission’s concern about the potential “stigmatisation” of NGOs under the Georgian law, Papuashvili dismissed the claim as baseless.

“What does stigmatisation even mean? If it’s not stigmatising in the US, how can it be stigmatising in Georgia? Are people in America and Georgia of different kinds? This conclusion is completely absurd - suggesting that what is acceptable in the US is somehow unacceptable for Georgians. If the Venice Commission wants to look at us in such a segregated way, that’s another issue entirely”, he concluded.