Georgian President signs amendments to Law on Broadcasting

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Friday signed the amendments to the Law on Broadcasting, which was approved by the country’s Parliament this month, the Presidential Administration said.

The ruling Georgian Dream party-proposed bill of amendments, extending the power of the National Communications Commission in regulating hate speech and incitement to terrorism, was criticised by the domestic opposition and civil organisations, claiming the amendments were “targeted against the freedom of expression”.

Commenting on the criticism, the head of the GD party Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said the adoption of the amendments was “a “demand of the European Union”.

In his turn, the EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński last month said the domestic Law on Broadcasting met the related standards of the bloc, noting the approved bill also adhered to the standards of the EU’s Audiovisual Services Directive.