Criticism of ruling party officials, including on social media, may lead to prosecution under new law, lawyer

Georgian lawyer and human rights advocate Nika Simonishvili on Friday raised concerns over recent amendments to Georgia's Code of Administrative Offenses, warning that criticism of ruling party officials could now lead to prosecution if deemed insulting.

Simonishvili said the changes adopted by the ruling Georgian Dream party granted authorities broader control over freedom of expression, including on social media platforms. While the government did not explicitly highlight this aspect when passing the amendments, Simonishvili argues that the intent was apparent from the beginning.

"The amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses adopted by Georgian Dream clearly signaled that they could extend control to social networks," Simonishvili claimed. "Although this was not initially emphasized, the content of the changes made it clear from the outset that they would ultimately be used for this purpose."

He further warned that public criticism of government officials, if interpreted as offensive or insulting, could now serve as grounds for administrative prosecution.