Georgian ruling party MP defends hate speech measures, rejects US Embassy concerns

Georgian ruling party lawmaker Levan Machavariani defended the government's measures against hate speech, arguing that they target insults rather than free expression, and dismissed concerns raised by the US Embassy over the policy.

Speaking on Tuesday, Machavariani, a member of the parliamentary majority, said there was a clear distinction between freedom of speech and insults, adding that no one had the right to publish content that violated another person's dignity.

He said people were free to criticise politicians or express dissatisfaction but argued that offensive and degrading language in public spaces should not be protected as free speech.

Machavariani added the Interior Ministry unit responsible for enforcing hate speech-related legislation and the courts had imposed fines regardless of individuals' political affiliation, adding that monitoring by the ruling party showed a noticeable decline in hate speech on social media since the measures took effect.

He argued that reducing hate speech would help lower political polarisation in Georgia.

Responding to a statement by the US Embassy expressing concern over the establishment of the hate speech enforcement unit, Machavariani said he believed the embassy either did not fully understand the issue or had been misinformed.

He said every case that had resulted in a court-imposed fine involved what he described as serious public insults, adding that such conduct should also be considered unacceptable by the current US administration.

The US Embassy has previously expressed concern that the new measures could have implications for freedom of expression in Georgia.