Linguist Marina Beridze Criticises Negative Connotations in Foreign Influence Transparency Law
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, September 2, 2024
Linguist Marina Beridze, speaking at the Constitutional Court where she was invited as an expert, criticised the terminology used in the Foreign Influence Transparency Law, stating that the key terms and phrases employed in the legislation carry "unequivocally" negative connotations. Beridze was invited to testify on the terminology by the non-governmental organisations that are challenging the law.
Beridze explained that a study was conducted using three different methods to analyse words and phrases such as "foreign", "foreign power", "influence", "interest", and "foreign power's interests." According to the linguist, the study revealed that:
"The key terms and phrases used in the law are unequivocally negative in connotation. It is only possible to use these words with a positive or neutral connotation when additional modifiers are specifically crafted for this purpose. For example, if we use the word 'envy', it inherently has a negative connotation, and we would have to add a specific modifier to turn it into a word with a positive meaning."
During the session on August 30, where the law's terminology was also discussed, Parliament representative Kristine Kuprava argued that the word "foreign" is neutral in its connotation.
The three-day hearing at the Georgian Constitutional Court regarding the controversial Russian law has concluded, with judges now in deliberation over the decision.
The court's ruling on whether to accept the lawsuits challenging the Russian law for formal consideration, and whether subsequent hearings will proceed, is expected to be announced in the coming days.
It is worth noting that a total of four lawsuits were filed against the Russian law in the Constitutional Court, with the hearings commencing on August 29.
