Georgian PM claims “protection of rights” in comments on bill on “family values”, “protection of minors”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday said the Government was required to “strictly protect the rights” of individuals “regardless of their lifestyle” while commenting on a ruling Georgian Dream party-introduced bill on “family values and protection of minors”.

In comments on the newly introduced bill, Kobakhidze claimed pseudo-liberal “propaganda” was “unacceptable” and contained “certain dangers”, adding it was “fundamentally important for the country to regulate issues related to the propaganda”.

We must clearly distinguish between human rights protection and propaganda. Human rights are protected in Georgia and must be strictly protected. This applies to any person, regardless of their lifestyle, but as far as propaganda is concerned, propaganda is unacceptable”, he said.

The legislative initiative was presented on Tuesday to the Parliament by Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, and involves a broad constitutional amendment to “protect family values” ahead of introduction of “several dozen” specific bills.