Statement by Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance on Publication of Personal Data of Prison Employees

The Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia released a statement in response to the publication of personal data (names, birth dates and addresses) of the employees of the Gldani Penitentiary Establishment #8 by the Georgian weekly edition Asaval-Dasavali.

The statement points out that according to the Article 41 part II of the Constitution of Georgia “the information existing on official papers pertaining to individual’s health, his/her finances or other private matters, shall not be accessible to anyone without the consent of the individual.”

At the same time, according to the General Administrative Code, public institution shall not disclose personal data of a person without the consent of the individual except for the cases determined by law. Personal data of individuals occupying positions (including persons nominated for a position) shall not be publicized as well.

In the present statement the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia (MCLA) confirmed that the noted information was not publicized by the administration of the establishment or any other authorized person.

 “According to the Criminal Code of Georgia, unlawful obtaining of classified information, storage or dissemination, represents the subject to punishment. We hope that investigative bodies will pay special attention to the mentioned facts and identify those individuals who illicitly made the information public.

We would like to call on the public, if they have information about perpetration committed by an official of the penitentiary system, to inform the relevant investigative bodies, and not to allow personal communication with these individuals and/or their family members with the aim of putting pressure or punishment regarding office activities.

We declare that assault against the representative of the government, their offices, residential buildings or their vehicles as well as against their family members constitutes a crime according to the Criminal Code of Georgia,” reads the statement released by the Ministry.

Media.ge