The Georgian Constitutional Court began hearing multiple lawsuits against the Foreign Agents Law on August 29. These lawsuits were filed by President Zurabishvili, 121 civil society and media organizations, opposition MPs, and two journalists. The preliminary hearing will continue until August 31.
According to DC correspondent Alex Raufoglu, the U.S. State Department Spokesperson has denied Russian allegations of a planned “color revolution” in Georgia. Instead, the spokesperson emphasized the U.S.’s support for Georgia’s development and its fight against Russian aggression.
In a recent case, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found a violation of Article 6 of the European Human Rights Convention and ordered Georgia to pay damages and expenses to the applicants. The court includes acting judge Giorgi Mikautadze, who is allegedly part of the “judicial clan.”
Transparency International Georgia has issued a statement criticizing the Central Electoral Commission’s new decree. The organization believes that the changes undermine the transparency of the electoral process and violate the Election Code. The changes include holding the drawing of lots to distribute duties among commission members one week before the election, rather than on election day as previously required.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed that another Georgian citizen, Viktor Kipritidi, was killed in fighting in Ukraine. Kipritidi was an internally displaced person from the occupied region of Abkhazia and had previously fought in the Abkhazian War in the 1990s and the August War in 2008. This brings the unofficial death toll of Georgian citizens fighting in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2021 to 56.
Independent opposition MP Teona Akubardia has joined former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia’s “For Georgia” party. Akubardia believes that it is impossible to defeat the ruling Georgian Dream party without the participation and active involvement of Gakharia’s party. She also praised “For Georgia” for its moderate and respectable stance.
Russian state media reports that occupied Abkhazia has become the second most visited destination for Russians this year, according to the National Statistics Service. The number of visits by Russians has increased by 2.5% compared to last year. Visits to the rest of Georgia (excluding the occupied Tskhinvali region) have also increased by 31.3%.
The Russian government has approved ratification bills to eliminate double taxation between Russia and occupied Abkhazia. De facto authorities in Sokhumi claim that this will benefit the region’s economy.
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