US Embassy: wiretapping legislation distances Georgia from European integration

2022/09/44204-1662622422.jpg
Read: 1558     14:00     08 Сентябрь 2022    

The wiretapping legislation does not comply with European standards and its adoption distances Georgia from European integration. This was stated in a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Georgia.

The Georgian Parliament on Tuesday overcame Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto of the surveillance law and approved the wiretapping law, criticized by the European Union, without changes.

”The Parliament’s decision to intentionally pass wiretapping legislation that expands the government’s ability to monitor its citizens does not comply with European standards and is against the clear recommendations of the Venice Commission and Western partners. This law moves Georgia away from European integration, not towards it”, the Embassy stated.

Amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure allow for secret investigative actions on 27 additional types of crimes. At the same time, their duration increases from 6 to 9 months and often indefinite production is allowed.

When the parliament supported the changes for the first time in June 2022, local NGOs reported "a significant deterioration in the level of human rights protection in the conduct of covert investigations".

At the same time, the EU indicated that the Georgian Parliament "continues to implement significant legislative changes through accelerated procedures and without proper analysis of their compliance with European standards".

Almost similar conclusions were reached by the Venice Commission, to which the President appealed for recommendations. They pointed out that "the legislation was passed in a hurry and requires an impact assessment and more elaboration to justify the necessity and proportionality of the proposed provisions".

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US Embassy: wiretapping legislation distances Georgia from European integration

2022/09/44204-1662622422.jpg
Read: 1559     14:00     08 Сентябрь 2022    

The wiretapping legislation does not comply with European standards and its adoption distances Georgia from European integration. This was stated in a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Georgia.

The Georgian Parliament on Tuesday overcame Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto of the surveillance law and approved the wiretapping law, criticized by the European Union, without changes.

”The Parliament’s decision to intentionally pass wiretapping legislation that expands the government’s ability to monitor its citizens does not comply with European standards and is against the clear recommendations of the Venice Commission and Western partners. This law moves Georgia away from European integration, not towards it”, the Embassy stated.

Amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure allow for secret investigative actions on 27 additional types of crimes. At the same time, their duration increases from 6 to 9 months and often indefinite production is allowed.

When the parliament supported the changes for the first time in June 2022, local NGOs reported "a significant deterioration in the level of human rights protection in the conduct of covert investigations".

At the same time, the EU indicated that the Georgian Parliament "continues to implement significant legislative changes through accelerated procedures and without proper analysis of their compliance with European standards".

Almost similar conclusions were reached by the Venice Commission, to which the President appealed for recommendations. They pointed out that "the legislation was passed in a hurry and requires an impact assessment and more elaboration to justify the necessity and proportionality of the proposed provisions".

newsgeorgia.ge





Tags: