MP Rati Ionatamishvili: Freedom of expression is never licence to defame; Strasbourg Court confirms this precedent

“Freedom of expression can never be used as a licence to insult others or defame their dignity. The Strasbourg Court has once again made this perfectly clear, establishing a milestone precedent,” the Chair of the Parliamentary Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, MP Rati Ionatamishvili, has declared.

According to him, it is an undeniable fact that the proliferation of hatred in Georgia is being deliberately orchestrated.

“They are deeply resentful that robust regulations exist at the national level, and that the rulings of the Strasbourg Court firmly back the legislative amendments recently enacted by the government. The polarisation and dissemination of hate speech within our country will be curbed even further in the future, which will deal an even heavier blow to the foreign-agent opposition. The more the political and public spheres are purged of hatred, the better. It is vital that everyone upholds ethical standards and expresses their views without insulting others or violating their dignity. Those who lack the capacity to do so, or whose directives prevent them from acting otherwise, have only themselves to blame. The public must see clearly exactly who stands on the side of hatred and abuse,” Rati Ionatamishvili stated.

For context, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) recently ruled that imposing a prison sentence for the dissemination of defamatory statements on a personal blog does not violate the right to freedom of expression.