“Hate speech” offenders now face heavy fines – but the victims aren’t who you’d expect
Georgians who use Facebook to blow off steam now have to watch their language. The Caucasus nation’s leadership has deployed a police squad to scroll through social media – primarily Facebook – in search of comments that cross the line from political criticism into outright profanity. But the reality isn’t so clear cut.
Officially, the squad carries the Orwellian title of the Department for Combating Hate Speech. Unofficially, it has earned a satirical moniker: the Ministry of Scrolling.
Established on June 1, this tiny, 10-person task force has been actively reporting cases of Facebook rudeness to the courts, resulting in hefty fines for offenders. The Georgian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that since June 20, the department’s referrals have resulted in legal proceedings against six critical journalists, four opposition politicians, and nine anti-government activists.
Fines range from 3,000 to 6,000 lari (approx. US$1,100-2,300) – a steep price to pay for cursing online in a country where the average monthly salary is around US$830.
In a move that’s widely seen as an escalation in the state’s crackdown on dissent, the squad’s primary job appears to be shielding political elites – specifically the ruling dynasty of billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili – from public opprobrium. Based on the department’s referrals, courts in Tbilisi fined two citizens in June for insulting the oligarch’s son, Bera, on Facebook.
Founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Ivanishvili has governed Georgia as its formal or informal leader for 14 years, appointing and dismissing top officials at his whim. The past two years have seen widespread protests against his rule, to which the government responded by progressively tightening restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.
The work of this new Facebook police stems from legislation passed two years ago that made offensive language directed at politicians punishable by law. Now, with a dedicated squad feeding cases directly to the judiciary, the legal machinery is moving at full speed.
The squad targets more than just direct insult: prominent local TV host Vakho Sanaia was fined for a sarcastic Facebook post in which he ironically asked commenters not to call the parliament speaker a “- – ck” as that is illegal in Georgia these days. He was fined 6,000 lari (approx. US$2,300).
In a further twist of irony, the court fined a citizen for making unflattering comments about Sanaia himself. The journalist publicly defended the user who insulted him, arguing that citizens should be free to post whatever they wish. Under current Georgian law, however, an injured party is not required to file a complaint—a referral from the “Ministry of Scrolling” is all it takes.
“This is hypocrisy,” the TV host told RFE/RL, arguing that the government is merely trying to create a façade of political neutrality by volunteering to “protect” occasional opposition figures and critical journalists.
Human rights watchdogs have strongly condemned both the “Ministry of Scrolling” and the laws that allow it to prosecute speech without a victim’s consent. The introduction of this police squad “constitutes yet another alarming example of the growing and systematic restriction of freedom of speech and expression in the country,” wrote Tbilisi-based Social Justice Center.
This summary draws upon several original sources as linked above, primarily from the Georgian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in July 2026.
Summary by Giorgi Lomsadze
