Tbilisi. Human Rights Center is alarmed at the recent frequent facts of assault in social network against the family members of human rights defender Vitaly Safarov, who was killed based on ethnic motives.

“Recently, owners of various fake or real profiles in the social network Facebook have been intensively publishing posts containing fascist and xenophobic, hate speech and intimidating texts against the family members of Vitaly Safarov as well as against the Jewish people…

In this light, it is essential that law enforcement bodies immediately, impartially and comprehensively investigated the facts of assault on the family members of Safarov and all other similar cases in order to prevent similar incidents in future. It is important that the State acknowledged the need to implement not only negative but positive responsibilities too as well as its role in the eradication of the crimes, which creates threat to the pluralism and equality in the society, development of democratic and safe environment in the country.

It is important that the Government made the criminal law policy more severe towards similar unlawful and violent actions and establish categorical approach to them because the existing weak policy has already contributed to the empowerment of xenophobic, fascist groups and hate speech that cannot prevent similar incidents in future”, is noted in the address.

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Source: www.hrc.ge