The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated administrative proceedings against journalist Tornike Razmadze. The agency states that he is accused of insulting the country's Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, on social media. The case was opened under Article 166 (petty hooliganism) and Article 173 (disobedience to police orders), which carry penalties of a fine of up to 3,000 lari or up to 20 days in detention. The case is scheduled to be heard by the Tbilisi City Court on September 29.

"Officers from the Hate Speech Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Human Rights Protection Department work daily to identify offenses involving both insults directed at specific individuals and the use of profanity in public spaces.

As part of these efforts, offensive comments made by citizen Tornike Razmadze and Anna Bdeyan—who insulted Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on social media—were identified," the Ministry's statement reads.

Razmadze himself claims the prosecution stems from a comment posted under a video he published on August 18. In the video, the journalist compared Kobakhidze’s rhetoric regarding the Treaty of Georgievsk with statements made by Russian propagandists. The video included a clip from Vladimir Solovyov’s program featuring Margarita Simonyan. She spoke about Erekle II—who signed the Treaty of Georgievsk—claiming that he had begged Russia "on his knees" to accept Georgia. Simonyan asserted that future Georgian "Tsars named Erekle" would likewise beg Russia "on their knees" to take them back.

Under the video, Razmadze left a profane comment that translates roughly to: "I f***ed their mothers 'on their knees'." As local media note, it is impossible to determine the specific intended recipient from the comment itself. Razmadze maintains, however, that he was referring to Simonyan and Solovyov.

"You wouldn't believe what I’m being charged with and summoned to court for—facing either arrest or a massive fine. The Georgian Interior Ministry is prosecuting me for insulting and verbally abusing Russian propagandists Simonyan and Solovyov," the blogger said indignantly.

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) has called on the Interior Ministry to drop the case. The organization stated that punishing such statements sets a precedent for restricting political criticism. The lawyers also cited the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, noting that the use of vulgar language does not, in itself, constitute disorderly conduct; assessments must take into account the context and the statement's role in public discourse.

Furthermore, GYLA highlighted the absurdity of a situation where criticism of the Kremlin’s anti-Georgian propaganda becomes a target of state action under the guise of maintaining public order.