“Following detailed, substantive consultations with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Minister personally, an agreement has been reached that a special division will be established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) at the earliest opportunity. Its core function will be the systematic monitoring of hate speech, offensive campaigns and aggressive communication in the public sphere, as well as the corresponding legal response,” Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister and State Minister for the Coordination of Law Enforcement Agencies, Mamuka Mdinaradze, stated at the briefing today, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports.
He further stated that it is the obligation of the state to ensure the creation of an environment in which dissenting opinion is protected, whilst at the same time the incitement of hatred, hostility and abuse is rendered unacceptable.
As Mamuka Mdinaradze noted, opening up a space for debate had been the first significant step, and from today, a further important stage in this direction commences.
“Several months ago, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, put forward a most significant initiative concerning the necessity of opening a space for debate. He stated clearly at the time that certain external actors had, over the course of years, been deliberately and artificially closing off the space for public discourse, to prevent a diversity of opinion, reasoned debate and constructive polemic within society. In its place, these external forces had been encouraging confrontation, animosity and polarisation. Sadly, this process was accompanied by the normalisation of offensive and aggressive rhetoric in political and social life, becoming an accepted norm of political and public discourse.
We, as a responsible government, take the view that it is the obligation of the state to ensure the creation of an environment in which dissenting opinion is protected, whilst the incitement of hatred, hostility and abuse is rendered wholly unacceptable. Opening a space for debate was the first significant step, and from today, we move to the next important stage in this direction. Following detailed, substantive consultations with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Minister, we have agreed that a special division will be established within the Ministry at the earliest opportunity, whose principal function will be the systematic monitoring of hate speech, offensive campaigns and aggressive communication in the public sphere, along with the corresponding legal response. This is understood to encompass any form of public communication that contains hate speech, incitement to animosity, violation of dignity, and other such conduct.
The fact that this division will operate proactively, meaning its response will not rely solely on a citizen’s complaint, is of particular significance. The agency itself will carry out monitoring, conduct the relevant legal assessment, and refer materials directly to the courts where necessary,” said Mamuka Mdinaradze.
