"The real objective is not to prevent insults in public spaces. We all know this is a de facto government with zero recognition, and that is what concerns them," Pavlenishvili said.
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Front News Georgia
A senior member of Georgia's opposition United National Movement (UNM) has accused the government of using proposed restrictions on public insults as a tool to suppress freedom of expression rather than protect public order.
Irakli Pavlenishvili, deputy secretary general of the UNM, said the government's stated goal of preventing insults in public spaces was not the real purpose of the initiative.
"The real objective is not to prevent insults in public spaces. We all know this is a de facto government with zero recognition, and that is what concerns them," Pavlenishvili said.
He argued that freedom of speech and expression remains one of the country's most pressing challenges.
Pavlenishvili said the United States has consistently emphasised the importance of protecting free speech, referring to statements made by US officials at the Munich Security Conference and to a recent statement by the US Embassy in Georgia regarding what it described as a campaign organised by the country's ruling authorities.
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