U.S. Senator Jim Risch - ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
U.S. Senator Jim Risch - ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), along with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), have expressed concern over the recent actions of Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau. The senators, who hold key positions on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a joint statement addressing the situation.
“We are concerned by Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau’s decision to label Transparency International Georgia and Vote for Europe as organizations ‘with a declared electoral goal,’” they stated. These non-governmental organizations are involved in preparing monitoring missions for the upcoming Georgian elections but do not participate in the electoral contest. According to the senators, these NGOs support democracy irrespective of voter choice.
The statement also highlighted punitive measures taken against Eka Gigauri, Director of Transparency International Georgia. “It is unconscionable that Transparency International Georgia Director Eka Gigauri is being punished for her recent testimony in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s September 12 hearing on ‘Anti-NGO Laws and Other Tools of Democratic Repression.’ The announcement about her yesterday proves that autocratic governments are misusing laws to punish independent voices,” they said.
###
Alerts Sign-up