President Saakashvili Initiates Legislation to Restrict Dissemination of Footage Featuring Person’s Private Life

Speaking at the January 17 press conference President Saakashvili initiated legislation to restrict dissemination of footage featuring a person’s private life, tabula.ge reports.

“Did you know that the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia released the footage that features private lives of some individuals. I would like to remind everyone that my government has been in power for eight years, please cite at least one case containing person’s privacy released by official agencies. You might think a lot and fail to cite any. I used to keep strict control, it’s a very painful issue to me. Therefore, I would like to initiate draft bill to restrict the dissemination of the footage of the kind and be subject to criminal punishment. If State agencies happen to get this kind of material it should be destroyed,” tabula.ge cites President.

According to Saakashvili’s statement published in the Tabula “numerous bad regimes” are trying to obtain information about private lives to be ultimately published online. But, President says, he does not know any prosecutor’s office or State agency worldwide officially publicizing the material of the kind. “The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has broken every record in terms of the lack of civility, along with committing a crime – absolutely immoral and blameworthy action. That’s what Russian oligarchs and the ones raised by Russian oligarchs used to study in Russia, they did whatever they had been taught,” President said.

In response to Kavkasia TV journalist’s question – which is a heavier crime collection of material featuring private life for the purpose of blackmail or its release – President said: “Collecting of any kind is illicit, but the release is a crime as well. Therefore, we would like to adopt the law to fully have this possibility ruled out in the future. Both collection as well as release will a crime.”

Note by Media.Ge: The release of the aforementioned video was protested by a number of NGOs including Georgian Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, GYLA, Media Development Foundation, LGBT Georgia, Article 42 of the Constitution Public Defender of Georgia released a special statement in response to the case.

Media.ge