On July 3, 2026, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights applied to the European Court of Human Rights to intervene as a third party in the so-called FARA case. The Strasbourg Court granted the Commissioner’s request and informed GYLA of the information, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association reports.

According to them, GYLA initiated the proceedings in the Strasbourg Court in 2025 on behalf of 6 applicants, three organizations and their leading individuals.

“The complainants dispute how the aforementioned law – the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Georgian FARA) restricts civil society and the media. In particular, in its complaint, GYLA notes that in reality this law aims to silence, discredit and persecute independent civil society organizations and media, including by imposing criminal liability.

It is worth emphasizing that the Commissioner has previously been involved in another case heard by the Strasbourg Court concerning Russian law. In the document submitted to the European Court within the framework of this case, the Commissioner focused not only on the Foreign Influence Transparency Act, but also on other laws, including the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The Commissioner notes that both laws force civil society organizations to register as “foreign interest organizations” or “agents of a foreign principal”, which, in the Commissioner’s assessment, restricts the ability of human rights defenders to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association. According to the Commissioner, this is particularly evident when these measures are accompanied by an aggressive campaign by the authorities and pro-government groups aimed at discrediting civil society organizations and excluding them from decision-making processes, including by portraying them as “enemies of the state” (or enemies of the Georgian people) and by constantly referring to their sources of funding as an obstacle to their ability to play the role of an impartial observer in society.

It is worth noting that on 2 February 2026, the Commissioner issued a statement strongly condemning the legislative amendments initiated in 2026 to the Law on Grants and other acts. The Commissioner reiterates that these amendments restrict the activities of the civil society sector and calls on the authorities to abandon legal mechanisms that hinder the free functioning of public organizations.

The European Court of Justice has set the Commissioner a deadline of August 31, 2026 to submit a position.

GYLA continues its strategic litigation related to the restrictive laws on civil society and will periodically provide the public with updated information,” reads the statement.