Transparency International Georgia states that the European Court of Human Rights has begun the second stage of communication in relation to its complaint.

According to the organization, the applications concern laws adopted in April 2025 - the “FARA” law and amendments to the “Law on Grants.”

Transparency International Georgia explains that the Georgian Ministry of Justice has been given a deadline until October 15, 2026, to respond both to the complaints and to the Court’s questions.

The organization reports:

The European Court of Human Rights has entered the communication stage regarding the joint application submitted by Transparency International Georgia, the Centre for Economic Policy Research, the Rule of Law Centre, Publika, the Georgian European Orbit, the Civil Movement for Freedom, as well as Eka Gigauri, Nino Evgenidze, and Nino Lomjaria. In parallel, communication has also begun on similar applications filed by 17 other organizations and individuals.

According to the statement, the start of communication means that the Court will conduct an in-depth review of both the admissibility and the merits of the applications. The Georgian Ministry of Justice, referred to in the statement as the “Ivanishvili regime’s Justice Ministry,” has been given until October 15, 2026, to respond to the complaints and the Court’s questions.

The applications concern what they describe as repressive laws adopted in April 2025 - the “FARA” law and amendments to the Law on Grants - which, according to the organizations, have already caused serious harm to civil society and have become one of the main tools for distancing Georgia from the democratic world.

The Court’s questions reportedly concern whether these laws and the measures implemented under them are compatible with rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, as well as the prohibition of politically motivated restrictions of rights.

The organization describes this as an important interim victory for Georgian civil society, stating that while further intensive legal proceedings lie ahead, it represents a significant step toward the European court assessing what it calls the government’s anti-democratic practices.