Appeals Court Finds Wrongdoing of Politician for Insulting of LGBT Activist

Tbilisi Court of Appeals entrusted Besik Danelia, the member of the United Georgia – Democratic Movement, to pay GEL 500 in damage to Levan Berianidze as Danelia called homophobic slur during the discussion.

The Appeals Court overturned the December 6, 2018 verdict of Tbilisi City Court and incriminated Besik Danelia and ordered to pay GEL 1 (30 Cents) minimal amount of money in compensation for moral damages for the activist’s homophobic insult on a local TV program.

Following the Tbilisi City Court’s ruling, Besik Danelia said in an interview with On.ge that the court made the right decision when assessing the dignity of LGBT people by one Lari. “They are trying to make far-fetched accusations as if they are oppressed”, – said Danelia.

Equality Movement didn’t agree Tbilisi City Court’s ruling as it encourages homophobic groups and depriving LGBT people of their motivation to seek legal protection and defend their rights.

Court of Appeals upheld the Equality Movement’s arguments and ruled that Tbilisi City Court’s decision could not have been a deterrent and moreover, it is possible to become even encouraging adversaries to abuse LGBT rights, as the defendant released by imposing a 1 GEL. This was clearly confirmed after Besik Danelia again made an insulting statements after the first-instance decision.

Tbilisi Court of Appeals has set a precedent for LGBT people to be able to effectively defend their honor and dignity under the law. However, we believe that the decision of the Court of Appeal will be of a restrictive nature for homophobic and transphobic individuals.