Human Rights Center’s Statement on Sanctions Imposed on Voters’ League

On September 5, 2012 statement was published on the website of the State Audit Office of Georgia. According to the statement, SAO declared organization Movement Voters’ League to be subject of the monitoring regulated by Article 261 of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Union of Citizens. Consequently, restrictions envisaged by the Organic Law were imposed on it.

The decision of the SAO was motivated by publicly declared goals and purposes of the Voters’ League, as well as their implemented activities…

The SAO statement reads that main motive of declaring Voters’ League to be subject of the monitoring regulated by Article 261 of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Union of Citizens is goals and purposes of the organization: “to unify to liberate the country from governmental monopoly, injustice and hopelessness caused by falsification… to unify to stop government’s supremacy over individuals, to protect personal dignity, freedom and future.” In addition to that, “Ongoing verification activities of the voters’ lists, on which the organization spends its financial resources, are accompanied by clearly political statements that directly connect organization’s purposes and goals with political and election purposes and activities. Public statements of politically active leaders of the Foundation demonstrate political goals of the organization as well; those people try to communicate their political and election goals with the society.”

In accordance to Article 261 Part I of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Union of Citizens “restrictions envisaged for political parties in this chapter shall work for the individuals who have declared election goals and use financial and other material resources to achieve those goals.”

Methodology of financial monitoring published by the SAO clarifies that “declared election purpose… can be clarified as intention to influence political process, as aspiration to change or maintain political reality when desire of a concrete individual to participate and win the elections, and to come into government is evident. Thus, if a concrete individual has so-called declared election goal, his/her activities shall aim not only at influencing political processes but also has desire to participate and win elections.

Relying on the abovementioned circumstances we believe that none of the motives mentioned in the statement of the SAO do not meet requirements of the Article 261 Part I of the Organic Law of Georgia.

We call upon the State Audit Office to provide more valid legal verifications and concrete facts to verify their position. Otherwise, the institution shall stop activities against Movement Voters’ League.

This fact will be reflected in the report of the Human Rights Center, which acts as a local  monitoring organization of election process and this information will be forwarded to international observers and foreign embassies accredited in Georgia.

Human Rights Center