A total of 233 Georgian non-governmental organizations have applied to join the register of foreign agents since its launch on August 2, Georgian Deputy Justice Minister Tamar Tkeshelashvili said at a meeting of the Constitutional Court on August 30.
There are about 30,000 registered non-profit organizations in Georgia, but many of them are inactive, the deputy minister noted.
More than two hundred NGOs, even before the law was passed, declared that they had no intention of registering.
Starting September 2, the Ministry of Justice will begin monitoring those who evade taxes. Those who do not register face fines.
On August 29, Georgia’s Constitutional Court began considering four lawsuits against the foreign agents law. One lawsuit combines appeals from Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, more than a hundred non-governmental organizations, 38 opposition members of the Georgian parliament, and two media organizations. The plaintiffs demand that the foreign agents law be stopped. Washington and Brussels demand the same from the Georgian authorities.
The hearings on the consolidated lawsuits against the foreign agents law will continue at the Constitutional Court until August 31.
