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 … Read more
TBILISI, July 22 – Georgian journalist Vakho Sanaia was sentenced to 14 days of administrative detention on Wednesday for a social media post about Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and MP Vladimer Bozhadze, triggering sharp criticism from opposition parties, media groups and foreign commentators. Tbilisi City Court imposed the sentence on July 22. The decision was … Read more
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 (USD 750) after finding that he insulted Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, Rezonansi reported on Tuesday. Kaladze is one of the … Read more
TBILISI, July 1 – Georgia’s government says a new police unit created to fight hate speech, insults and bullying in public spaces has already changed the tone of public debate, one month after it began work. The unit started operating on June 1. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it identified 170 alleged administrative … Read more
TBILISI, August 27 – With local elections a little over a month away, Georgia’s public defender, Levan Ioseliani, has called on political parties and politicians to avoid hate speech. He warned that both insults and slander are creeping into the campaign, though he did not cite specific cases, saying he will make an assessment closer … Read more