Georgian government-critical blogger Tornike Razmadze faces a fine or administrative detention over a Facebook comment he says targeted Kremlin propagandists Margarita Simonyan and Vladimir Solovyov. The comment, which contains swearing and was posted beneath his August reel comparing narratives by Simonyan and Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, does not explicitly identify a target but contains a reference to a phrase used by Simonyan in the video.
The copy of the case files shared by Razmadze shows the Interior Ministry’s Division for Combating Hate Speech launching administrative proceedings over Razmadze’s comment reading “f**k their moms na koleniakh”. The comment seems to refer to Simonyan’s remarks featured in the reel where she says Georgian rulers will be begging “на коленях” [na koleniakh] — “on their knees” in Russian — for “Mother Russia” to take it back.
Per the files, Razmadze faces proceedings under Article 166-1 of the Administrative Offence Code, which covers “petty hooliganism” – in particular “swearing, harassing citizens in public spaces, and other such acts that disturb public order and/or citizens’ peace,” and is punishable by a fine from GEL 500 to 3,000 or administrative detention of up to 20 days.
The Ministry “is proceeding against me over insulting and swearing at Russian propagandists Margarita Simonyan and Vladimir Solovyov,” Razmadze said in a video address on September 10.
Following widespread backlash, the Interior Ministry made a statement on September 10 vaguely implying Razmadze is targeted for insulting Kobakhidze. However, citing the court files, Razmadze argues that the official allegations against him only cover “petty hooliganism” and do not include “insulting a public official” under Article 17316 of the Administrative Offences Code, another clause also commonly invoked by the Ministry’s “hate speech” division against citizens.
Video and Treaty of Georgievsk Controversy
The reel uploaded by Razmadze in August is an apparent reaction to Irakli Kobakhidze’s August 18 briefing, where the GD Prime Minister defended the decision of Erekle II, the king of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, to sign the Treaty of Georgievsk with the Russian Empire in 1783. During the briefing, Kobakhidze called the signing of the treaty the “only correct and unavoidable decision” in light of Georgia’s “national interests” at the time.
(The signing of the Treaty of Georgievsk, which placed the eastern Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti under Russian protection, was followed by the eventual annexation of Russian kingdoms by the Russian Empire, turning it into a subject of fierce historical debate in Georgia.)
In the reel, Razmadze compares Kobakhidze’s remarks with those of Simonyan, stressing similarities between their narratives and warning that the Georgian authorities may be preparing the ground for “some type of cooperation” with Russia.
The reel features a video fragment where Simonyan, hosted by Solovyov, says King Erekle II “begged on his knees to be accepted in Mother Russia,” implying the decision saved Georgians “who were 50,000 at the time,” a claim aligning with Kobakhidze’s own demographic argument.
Simonyan goes on to say that “Mother Russia is taking back what’s its own” and “it’s time for everyone to come home,” before she goes on to say that “the new King Erekles” will “be begging on their knees for Mother Russia to take them home.” (In Russian, Erekle is translated as Irakliy, same as Kobakhidze’s first name.)
The reel then shows a fragment from Kobakhidze’s August 18 briefing defending the signing of the treaty.
Interior Ministry Comments
In a statement given to media following the widespread backlash over the proceedings against Razmadze, the Interior Ministry said that the staff of the Division for Combating Hate Speech “work on a daily basis to identify violations that include both insulting a specific individual and using insults in public spaces.”
As part of these efforts, “insulting comments by citizen Tornike Razmadze, as well as Ana Bdeiani, who insulted Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on social media, have been identified,” the Ministry notes, with the vague phrasing used in the statement leaving it unclear whether Razmadze, too, is accused of insulting Kobakhidze.
According to the Ministry, the administrative proceedings against the two are underway under articles covering petty hooliganism and insulting a public official. The court documents shared by Razmadze with the media show that he only faces “petty hooliganism” allegations, but not those covering the insult of a public official.
“Hate-Speech Division”
The Interior Ministry’s Division for Combatting Hate Speech, which began operating on June 1, has launched dozens of administrative cases over social media posts and comments, resulting in fines ranging from GEL 1,500 to GEL 6,000, as well as cases of administrative detentions.
The division primarily brings charges under Articles 166 (petty hooliganism) and 17316 (insulting a public official) of Georgia’s Code of Administrative Offenses. The division’s early cases have raised concerns among government critics and opposition figures that people were fined for insulting them without hearing their opinions.
Critics have pointed the Division serves as a tool for the Georgian authorities to target and censor critics.
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