The Daily Beat: 15 July
President Salome Zurabishvili appealed to the country’s Constitutional Court in an effort to repeal the foreign agents law. The President’s appeal challenges the law based on Article 78 of the Georgian Constitution, which requires the constitutional bodies to take all measures to ensure Georgia’s full integration into the EU, NATO, and other constitutional rights.
In his July 11 interview with the TV program “Imedis Kvira,” aired July 14 on the main pro-government Imedi TV channel, its owner Irakli Rukhadze criticized the inclusion of Georgia’s European integration aspirations in the Constitution. “Why is this [Art. 78 of the Constitution on EU and NATO integration] written in the Constitution? It’s complete nonsense if you ask me. We shouldn’t have put it there…,” Rukhadze said.
The President’s Parliamentary Secretary, Giorgi Mskhiladze reported that President Salome Zurabishvili appointed Kakha Tsikarishvili, a member of the Group of Independent Lawyers, as a non-judge member of the Board of the High Council of Justice (HCoJ), the body overseeing the judiciary, for a term of four years.
Another Georgian citizen, Zurab Iashvili, was killed while fighting in Ukraine. He was wounded and taken to the military hospital in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, where he died. This latest casualty brings to 53 the unofficial death toll of Georgian citizens who have died fighting in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Democracy Research Institute (DRI) presented the findings of the “Protests under Observation” report, indicating multiple breaches of international standards by the Georgian law-enforcement representatives during the protests held from November 6, 2023, to May 30, 2024. The report notes violations of international standards, the Georgian Constitution, and current legislation on freedom of assembly by law enforcement officials during the protests.
In a Facebook post, the Mayor of Kutaisi, Ioseb Khakhaleishilivi announced his resignation, expressing gratitude to his voters for allowing him to serve the city of Kutaisi and contribute to its development. According to Khakhaleishvili, he will remain in the ruling Georgian Dream team and given the current political challenges, will move to Tbilisi and engage in party activities.
The Data of the Day
National Statistics Office (Geostat) published express data indicating that the external merchandise trade (excluding non-declared trade) of Georgia decreased by 1.8% in January-June 2024 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, amounting to USD 10,320.1 million. According to Geostat, Georgia’s external merchandise trade saw exports decrease by 6.7% to reach USD 2.848 billion, while imports increased by 0.2% and totaled USD 7.472 billion.
