TBILISI, August 3 – A coalition of Georgian civil society groups has accused the authorities of using hate speech laws to punish political criticism that does not call for violence or target protected groups.
The Georgian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum said on Monday that citizens and journalists had in several cases been sanctioned for expressing political opinions on social media.
According to the non-governmental organizations (NGOs), some of the disputed statements did not contain calls for violence and did not incite hatred against protected groups or individuals belonging to them.
Despite this, people had faced penalties, including imprisonment in some cases, the platform said.
The coalition expressed concern that Georgia’s justice authorities were developing a practice in which laws presented as measures against hate speech were increasingly being used to control public expression and discourage criticism of the government.
It argued that political speech, criticism of public authorities and debate on issues of public interest should receive the strongest protection in a democratic society.
The platform also said disputes involving ethics or public debate should not result in people being sent to prison.
The Georgian National Platform warned that fear of punishment could discourage citizens from speaking openly about political and social issues, an environment would conflict with internationally recognised democratic standards.
