A court has fined citizen Gia Kachkachuri GEL 2,000 for insulting Deputy Chair of the United National Movement Levan Sanikidze on Facebook. The ruling was announced by Judge Manuchar Tsatsua.
The case concerns a comment posted under a social media card published by pro-government broadcaster Imedi TV on June 4. The card featured a quote by Sanikidze, who said: “‘Georgian Dream’ has three tasks from Russia: no NATO, no European Union, and no Misha.”
A comment posted under the name Gia Kachkachuri contained insulting and profane language directed at the opposition politician.
The investigation was conducted by the Ministry’s Department for Combating Hate Speech. The agency relied on a provision of the Code of Administrative Offenses concerning verbal insults directed at political officials.
Following the ruling, Sanikidze said on social media that he had not filed a complaint against Kachkachuri and questioned the need for state protection in the case.
“Who is this fined man? What complaint did I file? Who needs your protection and for what?” Sanikidze wrote.
The opposition politician also accused supporters of the ruling party of targeting him and his family online and said he did not need others to defend his dignity.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department for Combating Hate Speech began operating on June 1. The unit is tasked with monitoring and proactively identifying offensive or insulting statements on social media or in media outlets that may constitute administrative offenses under Georgia’s Code of Administrative Offenses.
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