Georgy Kalatozishvili reporting from Tbilisi. Exclusive for Vestnik kavkaza
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has condemned the country's non-governmental organizations, who have accused the government of mass wiretapping. According to the head of the Georgian cabinet, such organizations are sabotaging the state itself.
Georgian leaders has not been making such controversial statements for a long time. Eduard Shevarnadze was the last Georgian leader to make such statements right before the 2003 Revolution. He probably understood that the end of his rule is near and having no means to overt it decided to centre out non-for-profit organizations.
Mikheil Saakashvili was more careful. He has never criticized NGOs openly as he wanted to maintain his image of the architect of the new Georgian civil society. The incumbent prime minister has begun his political career by insulting institutions of the civil society.
Under Saakashvili, the special services made mass wiretapping a matter of everyday life. The new leadership of the interior ministry has found around 800 gigabits of records made by spy cameras. Special agents were recording privet life of politicians, journalists and artists. Some of the reconrds were published on the Internet and caused a great scandal. Mass wiretapping was held for political pursposes rather than in the framework of investigations. Special services wiretapped even Saakashvili's associates such as Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava.
After the Georgian Dream coalition came to power, the new authorities announced that the mass wiretapping was going to stop. Hundreds CDs with unauthorizied records were destroyed in front of reporters.
However NGOs demanded that such wiretapping should be held only after the corresponding decision is made by a court even in emergency situations and started a public campaign aimed at prohibition of illegitimate violation of private life.
The new authorities understood however that such energency situations may be used as an excuse to continue the practice of mass wiretapping, which may be favourable for the new government.
It seems like the struggle over this issue has just started, but the move made by the prime minister seems inappropriate.
