Razhden Kuprashvili, Head of Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau, said representatives of several organizations “deliberately disseminate incorrect information, as if the bureau, based on a court order, is inappropriately requesting documentation containing citizens’ personal and professional confidential information from them.”

At a press briefing today, Kuprashvili noted that the agency’s requirements “do not go beyond the legislative powers and is aimed only to study the purpose of the activities of those organizations reciving grants or are politicaly active.

“We believe that the existing disinformation campaign serves to mislead the population and aims to discredit transparency-oriented legislation and legal processes.

Transparency of political processes is one of the bureau’s top priorities, and our activities will continue to be directed towards identifying those organisations whose activities do not correspond to their declared aims and which secretly engage in political activity.

Our goal is for Georgia’s population to have complete information about the functioning of political actors, so that society has the opportunity to make informed choices,” he stated.

According to the statement by representatives of non-governmental organisations, “On 17 June, the Ivanishvili-Kuprashvili bureau began implementing anti-constitutional Russian laws through Murusidze’s court. Without legal grounds, they are demanding from us, human rights defenders, the transfer of personal information of citizens under our protection – victims of torture, women victims of violence, pupils, students, teachers, pensioners, people with disabilities, entrepreneurs, whistleblowers, journalists, observers, unlawfully dismissed public servants and their family members.”