Georgian Parliament official: inciting extremism should be punishable like organising a coup

Archil Gorduladze, the chair of the Georgian Parliament’s legal affairs committee, on Monday said the proposed amendments to the grant law would apply to individuals and organisations seeking to bring agents to power in Georgia through foreign influence.

In his remarks, Gorduladze noted that it was essential for incitement of extremism and the creation of fertile ground for revolutionary or other violent events to become punishable offences.

“Individuals united in various NGOs or other organisations - funded from abroad and acting on instructions from abroad - attempted to overthrow the government and bring foreign agents to power. This applies to those people and organisations who desire to bring agents into leadership by exerting foreign influence in our country. They are obligated to apply to the government of Georgia; if there are no challenges regarding the violation of sovereignty, the Georgian government will, of course, grant the relevant consent”, the Parliament official said.

He added that just as rebellion, organising a coup, and calls for overthrowing the government are punishable acts, it is equally important to criminalise what he described as one of the main pathways leading to such outcomes - the incitement of extremism, division within society, and the creation of fertile ground for revolutionary or other violent processes. Gorduladze noted that similar actions are punishable in Germany.