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Protest rally against violations of privacy

May 7, 2013

www.media.ge

On May 4 Facebook users protested violation of the right to privacy at Rustaveli Avenue.  A special group – No More Footage! – was created on Facebook.

Reason for holding the protest rally was 30-minute video footage circulated via Internet on May 3. The video showed private sexual life of 3 persons.  Faces were not hidden in the footage and it was possible to identify the persons in it.  One of them was even named.

Ministry of Internal Affairs has responded to the fact. Official statement of the MIA reads that the Minister took up case of Giorgi Paresashvili under his personal control and the case of violation of privacy will be thoroughly investigated.

The circulated video was soon blocked in internet though part of internet-users had time to see it.

According to the nongovernmental organization Identity this was the second case when media and Internet circulated video materials violating the privacy rights of persons.  First time such materials were circulated by the Prosecutor’s Office, although faces were hidden in footages at that time.

“We call upon everybody to join our peaceful protest assembly in order to finally combat practice of using footage on sexual lives of people for discrediting them in Georgia. We realize that this rally will not eliminate the homophobia problem in Georgia, will not remove the taboo on sexuality and will not develop additional instruments that would allow government to take more effective preventive measures. Despite that your participation in the rally is important in order to show to the society that at least small part of citizens marks off the immoral practice of secret and public circulation of footage showing sexual life of a person,” the letter of Identity reads.

News agency Interpressnews circulated Studio Obiektivi journalist Giorgi Paresashvili’s comment in which he stressed that the video is fabrication.  Paresashvili links the fact with his journalistic activities.

Paresashvili noted that for the last one month he had systematically exposing three persons - Gia Khukhashvili, Deputy Interior Minister Gela Khvedelidze and Deputy Prosecutor General Lasha Natsvlishvili in illegal activities.

Paresashvili said he was working on materials that would reveal business interests of the above mentioned persons.

“As for “Khukhashvili-Khvedelidze-Natsvlishvili clan” they have “reregistered” businesses from Vano Merabishvili’s clan.  I have been fighting against National Movement since 2006 and even that clan did not do similar things.  Even they did not go that far,” Paresashvili said.

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