Georgia’s ruling party MP says Venice Commission has turned from legal body into political one

Levan Machavariani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said the latest report by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe was a clear example that the body had shifted from making legal assessments to issuing politically motivated conclusions.

Machavariani’s remarks came after the recent recommendation by the Venice Commission urged the Georgian Government to revoke its legislation modeled after the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

“It is very unfortunate when the Venice Commission presents its conclusions from a political rather than a legal perspective. Unfortunately, we have gotten accustomed to this in recent years. If there is any legal justification, they should present it accordingly - but it simply does not exist”, the ruling party MP said.

“In this case, when Georgia is being criticised, it would be very interesting to see whether the same criticism will be directed at the United States, where FARA has been in force for almost a century. However, we doubt they would dare to make the same statements and conclusions regarding the United States”, Machavariani concluded.

The Venice Commission has called for the repeal of Georgia’s law modeled after the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), stating that it poses a threat to the rule of law.

The Commission further criticised legislation on grants, broadcasting, and political associations of citizens.