Ruling party proposes bill banning media content involving hate speech, calls to terrorism
The bill will come into play if approved by the state legislature. Photo: Parliament of Georgia press office
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MPs from the ruling Georgian Dream party have proposed amendments to the country’s Law on Broadcasting to include ban on ads or other media content containing hate speech or calls to terrorism.
The bill, unveiled earlier this week, would prohibit content involving incitement of violence or discrimination on ethnic, social, religious, gender, sexual, national, genetic or other grounds or “physical characteristics”.
It would also apply to ads and other content containing calls to terrorism.
In the explanatory note for the legislative initiative, authors of the bill cited regulatory bodies in European Union member states being mandated to monitor and resolve such cases.
Advertising company Alma has announced that it will ‘not put up hate speech banners’ and addressed the Georgian parliament with an initiative to ban hateful advertisements. Billboards depicting the opposition as ‘bloody’ appeared on September 17 in Tbilisi ahead of the October 2 municipal elections which depicted opposition political leaders, including former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and the media managers of two opposition-minded TV channels Nika Gvaramia and Nodar Meladze from Mtavari Arkhi and TV Pirveli.
The Georgian Patriarchate has accused three opposition-minded TV channels Mtavari Arkhi, TV Pirveli and Formula TV of ‘insulting its institution’ and using hate speech following a recent incident in which Monk Ioane verbally harassed a Formula TV journalist.
The statement by the Spokesperson for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations was released following the 11th annual Human Rights Dialogue between EU and Georgia held on April 24 in Brussels.
The project will look at ways of combining legislative, capacity-building and awareness raising actions to ensure the appreciation of diversity in Georgia and the possibility for everyone to freely enjoy their rights.