GD's Mdinaradze announces changes in defamation legislation

Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party plans to introduce changes to the country’s defamation legislation that would shift the burden of proof from the accused to the accuser, party executive secretary Mamuka Mdinaradze announced.

Referring to the current law, Mdinaradze criticized the existing framework that requires individuals to prove their innocence when accused of wrongdoing.

“This law allowed anyone to accuse a citizen—be it a public official, politician, or private person—of something without evidence, and the accused had to prove that they hadn’t committed the act. That is absurd,” he said.

Mdinaradze claimed the original law was “imposed from abroad” and “created by agents,” but emphasized that upcoming amendments would align Georgia’s legal framework with “European standards.”

“When the new law is enacted, the burden of proof will be placed on the person spreading the information,” he said. “If someone claims that another person did something wrong, the accuser must prove it. No one will be forced to defend themselves against unfounded or absurd allegations anymore.”

Mdinaradze insists the changes are about restoring balance. “This will end the nonsense where people have to prove they didn’t commit a crime someone simply accused them of,” he said.