TBILISI, July 7 – Georgia’s hate speech crackdown is moving ahead, with courts issuing new penalties in cases involving public insults against political and private figures.
Kutaisi City Court has fined Davit Svanadze 2,000 GEL after finding that he insulted Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, Rezonansi reported on Tuesday. Kaladze is one of the leading figures in the ruling Georgian Dream party.
In a separate case, Tbilisi City Court reviewed the case of Liana Blagidze, who was accused of insulting Irine Peradze in a public space. The judge found Blagidze to be an administrative offender, but issued only a verbal warning.
The cases are part of Georgia’s new campaign against hate speech, insults and bullying in public spaces. According to Rezonansi, the Ministry of Internal Affairs’s hate speech division has now identified around 200 alleged violations.
The figure shows that the new police unit remains active after its first month of work. The unit began operating on June 1. In its first month, the ministry said it had identified 170 alleged administrative violations, with 150 cases sent to court.
The government argues that the campaign is aimed at reducing insults and harassment in public debate, including online. Critics have warned that the policy may be used to restrict political speech, especially against people critical of the authorities.
The latest cases show both sides of how the new system is working in practice. One case ended with a financial penalty over an insult against a top government figure. Another ended with a warning in a case involving a private citizen.
Ana Kakiashvili, a lawyer for Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, said Irine Peradze had filed a complaint with the ministry. She said the hate speech division opened administrative proceedings and gathered evidence that was sent to Tbilisi City Court.
According to Kakiashvili, Blagidze’s lawyers did not confirm that she had made a verbal insult. But she said the evidence in the case proved that Blagidze had insulted Peradze.
