On July 9, the Zugdidi District Court sentenced activist Rosto Zarandia to five days of administrative detention over a Facebook comment deemed insulting to a public servant. Judge Irakli Abshilava ruled that Zarandia’s post insulted Zugdidi City Hall employee Magdalina Todua. In the comment, Zarandia used the Megrelian words “Tvinge” and “Poncho,” which translate to “stupid.”
This marks the first known case in Georgia of detention for a social media “insult,” under new laws introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party. Since February, insulting public officials or civil servants has been an administrative offense — one that, according to recent court practice, also covers online activity.
Zarandia’s case comes amid an escalating crackdown on critics of the Georgian Dream government. In recent months, opposition politicians, journalists, and activists have faced fines or short-term jail sentences for public or online comments.
On June 24, Tbilisi City Court fined Diana Gogoladze GEL 2,500 (approximately USD 920) for a Facebook comment directed at a police officer, also categorized as an insult.
Most recently, on July 7, activist Alki Kordzaia was sentenced to five days of detention after publicly confronting officer Bidzina Zhamerashvili, calling him “shameless” and “disgraceful.” Zhamerashvili is accused of giving false testimony in the case of 21-year-old activist Mate Devidze, who was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for allegedly assaulting police.
The growing number of such cases has sparked concern among civil rights advocates, who say the law is being used to silence dissent and intimidate critics of the government.
