Opposition-minded Mtavari TV accuses ruling party of ‘mass illegal surveillance’
Director of the opposition-minded Mtavari Arkhi TV Channel Nika Gvaramia previously held the posts of minister of justice and education and deputy prosecutor general under the United National government. Photo: Rustavi 2.
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Director of the opposition-minded Mtavari-Arkhi TV channel Nika Gvaramia released a ‘script obtained from the country’s State Security Service’ yesterday which ‘confirms the agency is making illegal recordings of politicians, members of NGOs, foreign diplomats, as well as members of the ruling party.’
Nika Gvaramia, founder and CEO of the Mtavari Channel, exposes the devious actions of the SSG who was illegally obtaining private information on citizens and was delivering it to Bidzina Ivanishvili
— Mtavari TV (@MtavariChannel) August 1, 2021
More: https://t.co/HNsdLlw15b pic.twitter.com/UsBynRhDei
The Georgian State Security Service says that the 'misinformation serves to deliberately discredit the State Security Service, mislead the public and incite distrust in state institutions.'
The agency states that specific media outlets 'are using all levers' to achieve their own 'political goals' and to make the society more polarised.
Unfortunately, certain members of civil society and political parties, willingly or unwillingly, become participants in this provocative and damaging disinformation campaign," said the State Security Service, adding that the agency acts 'in full compliance with the state constitution and the law.'
Ruling party members have responded ‘that the script is no evidence, everyone can make it’, adding that Gvaramia ‘continues telling fairy tales.’
Gvaramia claims that the State Security Service is collecting the illegal data for the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, the ‘informer ruler of the country’ Bidzina Ivanishvili.
The CEO and Founder of "Mtavari Channel" Nika Gvaramia addresses "Georgian Dream", warning that blame for any leaked information on private citizens will be upon "Dream's" shoulders
— Mtavari TV (@MtavariChannel) August 1, 2021
More: https://t.co/SXt7PEMmik pic.twitter.com/XSryLcOeRB
A member of NGO Social Justice Centre Guro Inmadze posted on Facebook that he recognized his conversation in the scripts provided by Gvaramia.
Imnadze said that the scripts revealed the ‘total control which we (the country citizens, NGOs) aimed to destroy back in 2012.’
Archil Talakvadze, one of the leaders of the Georgian Dream, called the information spread by the CEO of the Mtavari Channel, Nika Gvaramia, fake news
— Mtavari TV (@MtavariChannel) August 2, 2021
More: https://t.co/KygdFiFztw pic.twitter.com/WWZanWkJsm
Journalist of the opposition-minded Formula TV Nino Gelashvili and investigative journalist of RFE/RL Giorgi Mgeladze also ‘found themselves in the scripts.’
The illegal surveillance scandal was one of several reasons cited by experts which led to the defeat of the United National Movement back in 2012 by the Georgian Dream coalition.
With 93 votes for and 21 against the Georgian Parliament has adopted the final draft of a law on surveillance overturning President Giorgi Margvelashvili’s veto.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has vetoed a bill on surveillance which the Georgian Parliament passed on March 1. The law envisages the establishment of a surveillance agency under the State Security Service.
With 87 votes for and 2 against, the Georgian Parliament today adopted a final draft of a law that will establish a covert surveillance agency under the auspices of the State Security Service.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili says he will do his utmost to end the immoral practice of releasing information about a person's private life in Georgia.
The Georgian State Security Service has launched an investigation into the disclosure of state secrets under the classification of ‘secret,’ the body reported earlier today. The official statement of the State Security Service reads that the facts of public information dissemination about the official duties of the body’s staff and officials have become more frequent recently, noting that it ‘clearly violates the law on State Secrets.’
Georgian media outlets have received files allegedly leaked from the country’s State Security Service (SSS), which contain personal data on clerics. The media outlets received a link to the files earlier today from ‘Hakim Pasha,’ titled 'Georgian State Security Sevice’s compromising materials against Patriarchate.’
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has responded to the release of alleged files on clerics and politicians leaked from Georgia’s State Security Service (SSS), stating that it is a ‘dirty provocation of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party against state institutions.’He said that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) is ‘well-aware’ of the UNM goal to ‘undermine state institutions and damage the country’s image.’