Analysis of the Law of Georgia “On Introducing Amendments to the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting”

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November 21, 2023

On October 19, 2023, the Georgian Parliament adopted the Law of Georgia “On Introducing Amendments to the Law of Georgia ‘On Broadcasting’” rough an accelerated procedure. The Law expands the powers of the state to prevent the broadcasting of programs allegedly containing hate speech, obscenity, and incitement to terrorism. Georgian civil society expressed concern that the increased discretionary powers of state authorities risk restricting freedom of expression, threaten control and censorship of Georgian media organizations, and can be used to punish critical media.

Upon request from the USAID Civil Society Engagement Program, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) conducted a comparative analysis of the Law and its compliance with the international law and European standards. This Analysis focuses on the key problematic provisions of concern to Georgian civil society organizations (CSOs) and media representatives, not on all novelties.

The analysis document is available here – Analysis of the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting_Nov2023