The Embassy of the United States of America in Georgia has issued a statement on overcoming the President’s veto regarding the wiretapping law.
“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,” reads the statement.
The Georgian Parliament on Tuesday overcame Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili’s veto, with 79 votes, on the ruling Georgian Dream party’s domestic surveillance bill, that extends the scope and time limits on covert investigative actions, surveillance and wiretapping by state authorities.
Initially, the motivated remarks of the President on the Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia were voted on, which was supported by only 20 MPs, while 68 MPs voted against.
After that, the vetoed draft law was put to the vote, which was supported by 79 MPs, while 27 voted against.
Anri Okhanashvili, the Head of Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee claimed that the President and her representative had “failed” to submit motivated remarks on the draft law.
Giorgi Mskhiladze, the President’s Parliamentary Secretary also made comments in this regard and said the adopted draft law would “significantly worsen” the standard of human rights protection and “threaten” the country’s European future.
