Georgian lawyer fined $1,454 over comment on MP's Facebook post
Georgian lawyer fined over Facebook comment
Georgian lawyer Shota Tutberidze has been administratively fined 4,000 lari ($1,454) for a comment he posted on social media in response to a publication by MP Nino Tsilosani.
The case is appears to be the first precedents under a new legal mechanism that provides for liability for verbally insulting a person holding political office.
The case concerns a Facebook post published by MP Nino Tsilosani on 2 June 2026 about her visit to Canada, under which lawyer Shota Tutberidze left a strongly worded comment. The Georgian Interior Ministry subsequently launched administrative proceedings against him.
The investigation was conducted by the ministry’s recently established Hate Speech Enforcement Unit. Authorities relied on a provision of the Code of Administrative Offences concerning the verbal insult of a person holding political office.
Following the court ruling, Tsilosani said the case constituted an important precedent and helped establish a new practice for responding to offensive statements on social media.
“It turned out that the insulting comment under my post became the first precedent, and I am pleased that a very good practice has now been established and that there has been a concrete response to the insults so freely distributed, particularly by representatives of the United National Movement and their supporters,” Tsilosani told broadcaster Imedi TV.
She described Tutberidze as a “lawyer for the National Movement” and said making insulting statements was “common practice” for him. However, she added that the court’s decision sent a signal not only to the individual concerned but also to others that such behaviour would no longer go unanswered.
What is the Hate Speech Enforcement Unit?
On 1 June, a new Hate Speech Enforcement Unit began operating within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. Its main task is to identify statements made in the public sphere that are deemed defamatory, insulting to a person’s dignity, and indicative of an administrative offence.
According to the ministry, the unit will proactively monitor public statements, including social media posts and comments, identify alleged offenders and establish their identities.
The unit will also prepare administrative case materials and draw up offence reports for submission to the courts.
The new body’s activities will be carried out within the framework of the existing legislative framework.
