Georgian Patriarch Speaks About Abuse of Freedom of Speech
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, January 9
Georgian Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II mentioned abuse of freedom of speech in his Christmas epistle during the special Christmas liturgy held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi.
The epistle emphasized a number of issues, including risks coming from increased cases of abuse of the freedom of speech especially on social media in a form of hate speech, disinformation or defamation.
“Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights of the public, which allows citizens to express their opinion publicly through mass media and social networks…but, unfortunately, some people often change the reality and abuse the freedom of speech,” the epistle reads.
The patriarch believes that people do not restrain themselves from insulting or humiliating others.
“The gravest form of the lie - conscious lies have become widespread. The slander, which sometimes is masterly wrapped as the truth, misleads the people,” Ilia II stated.
The Head of the Church noted that people who spread lies and slender believe only physical abuse hurts others, which is not true.
“The word has an unusual force, both positive and negative. The word can give someone life or be the same as death. Moreover, none of our words disappear, and they will be our incriminating us before God," reads the Christmas Epistle.
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker, Irakli Kobakhidze, thanked Ilia II for his epistle, saying it outlined main problems that the country faces nowadays.
“The Epistle addresses the problem of verbal abuse, which is one of the most important problems in our society, the problem of defamation, falsehood, and foul words, which is a serious problem,” he stated.
The decriminalization of defamation took place in Georgia in 2004 after a new law on "Freedom of Speech and Expression" was adopted.
Until 2004, defamation was punishable by fine or from 100 to 200 hours of public work.
Decriminalization of defamation does not mean that such an action may be left unregulated. Any person can file a lawsuit and seek compensation for damages, in accordance with current legislation in Georgia and necessary evidence.
