CASE OF MILADZE v. GEORGIA

FOURTH SECTIONCASE OF MILADZE v. GEORGIA(Application no. 41585/23) JUDGMENT Art 10 • Freedom of expression • Proportionate administrative conviction and fine imposed on applicant for posting a TikTok video containing extremely crude and sexually explicit insults directed at identifiable public officials in the context of public debate on urban transport reform in Tbilisi • Violent verbal aggression aimed primarily at the wanton denigration of the public officials concerned • No element of political or social satire and no indication that the language used served any stylistic, rhetorical or literary purposes • Choice of medium significant due to its rapid algorithmic amplification and particularly high youth engagement • Viral dissemination of the video • Domestic courts carried out a structured and appropriately thorough balancing exercise • Limited severity of the sanction – minimum fi …