“As to what constitutes hate speech and what does not, I may well have my own position on that as a lawyer; however, it is for the relevant bodies, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the courts, to establish practice in this area,” said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in response to a journalist’s question at a briefing held at the Government Administration.

Asked specifically whom the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ newly established unit would regard as offenders, the Head of Government noted that double standards must not be permitted, and that the law must apply equally to everyone who commits a violation in this regard.

“As to what constitutes hate speech and what does not, I may well have my own position as a lawyer; however, practice must be established by the relevant bodies: the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the courts. We should observe how both agencies and bodies establish that practice. As regards the enforcement, double standards must not be permitted here. We have a new law that counters hate speech. Naturally, this legislation must be brought into force without any double standards whatsoever. Of course, we must all observe together the practice that takes shape within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it must not be one-sided. This practice must apply equally to all parties, so that hate speech and hatred in our society are eliminated,” said the Prime Minister.

State Minister of Georgia for Coordination of Law Enforcement Agencies announced on May 18 that a special department is to be established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, whose function will be the systematic monitoring of hate speech, offensive campaigns, and aggressive communication in the public space, and responding accordingly.