Publication of data on Gldani Prison staff triggers new protest in Georgia

Publication in the Georgian newspaper "Asaval-Dasavali" of names, surnames and addresses of personnel of the Gldani Prison No. 8 provoked a new protest action rally in Georgia, in which students and NGO activists participate.

The newspaper "Asaval-Dasavali" published the names and surnames of all staff members of the Gldani Prison, and it also published their contact details and addresses in the article entitled "Discover Executioner". The published list includes 316 persons.

According to the author, the information was provided by Aleko Djandjgava, Deputy Director of the prison, who "tries to wash away his guilt." This was written by BERG...man Tbilisi in his blog on the "Caucasian Knot",

After publication of the article, staff members of the Georgian NGOs and students decided to hold in the evening of 3 October in Tbilisi a protest action "Down with Newspaper of Hatred". Organizers of the protest action are coordinating their actions through the social network "Facebook".

According to the NGO "Transparency International-Georgia", the article in the edition "Asaval-Dasavali" does not comply with the journalistic ethics and represents an attempt to encourage violence.

"Against the background of recent events, related to the incident in the Gldani Prison No. 8, such actions of the newspaper" Asaval-Dasavali "can be treated as an attempt to encourage violence and it is incompatible with the principles of journalistic ethics," the "News-Georgia" quotes the NGO "Transparency International-Georgia" as stating.

The "Foundation for Media Development" made the similar statement. According to representatives of the Foundation, the publication puts at risk the lives of prison personnel and the guilt of prison personnel should be revealed by the court and not by the journalists, the "news.ge" reports.

Disclosure of information represents the actual call to the massacre of 316 persons and violates the Constitution of Georgia. This was stated by the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance. Representatives of the Ministry remind that misappropriation of personal secrets or dissemination is also a criminal act.

"We hope that the investigatory authorities will pay attention to the fact (publication of information on personnel of the Gldani Prison, note of the "Caucasian Knot") and will identify the individuals, who have made the information public in violation of the law," the "Georgia Online" quotes the statement of the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance as saying.