“My support goes to journalist Vakho Sanaia and his family! Collective perpetrators such as the ‘Gorduladzes’ continue to walk free to this day, while innocent citizens with differing opinions and representatives of critical media are punished on fabricated charges,” Tata Khvedeliani, a member of parliament from the For Georgia party, wrote on social media, responding to the administrative detention of journalist Vakho Sanaia.

According to her, the use of 14-day detention as a punishment for a representative of the critical media is an attempt by Georgian Dream to instill fear and a sense of insecurity in society.

“My support goes to journalist Vakho Sanaia and his family!

“Georgian Dream continues to use the system and the law to eliminate the personal discomfort of its members.

“The use of 14-day detention as a punishment for a representative of the critical media is an attempt by Georgian Dream to instill fear and a sense of insecurity in society. This is a message to society.

“Georgian Dream itself is fostering hate speech in the country, dividing society, and instructing its members and supporters to persecute people with differing and critical views and subject them to verbal and physical abuse.

“Collective perpetrators such as the ‘Gorduladzes’ continue to walk free to this day, while innocent citizens with differing opinions and representatives of critical media are punished on fabricated charges.

“You will all be held accountable for this terror and legislative lawlessness,” Tata Khvedeliani wrote.

For reference, today, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced journalist Vakho Sanaia to 14 days of administrative detention over a social media post concerning Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and MP Vladimir Bozhadze. The decision was issued by Judge Zviad Tsekvava. The Division for Combating Hate Speech, established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs to respond legally to the post, had appealed to the Tbilisi City Court.