Georgia. "Personal data of public sector employees' families is being requested" – a coalition of observers demands an investigation

Elections in Georgia

Ahead of the elections in Georgia, the coalition of observer organizations “My Voice” stated that the reported use of administrative resources by the “Georgian Dream” party constitutes a criminal offense. This was announced during a briefing by one of the coalition’s representatives, Londa Toloraia.

According to her, parents of schoolchildren are being asked to provide personal data. Toloraia called on the Data Protection Service to investigate the legality of collecting personal data on the parents of minors.

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Herczyński mentioned that “all options are being considered,” including the temporary suspension of visa-free travel.

“A few minutes ago, information emerged that personal data of parents is being collected from students in schools. The Ministry of Education must explain why they need to collect this information from students, as the ministry already has the necessary personal data of the children’s legal guardians for managing the educational process.

The Data Protection Service should also investigate the legality of collecting personal data of parents of minors,” stated Londa Toloraia.

Initially, the information that schools are asking children to fill out their parents’ personal data was posted by President Salome Zurabishvili on Facebook.

The Ministry of Education recently responded to this claim, calling the information spread by the president “false and misleading.” They stated that “schools periodically update the data in the system, particularly parents’/legal guardians’ contact phone numbers, email addresses, and home addresses.”

What “My Voice” Says

● Last week, the “My Voice” observation mission reacted to reports of identity cards being confiscated from voters. According to information from several unrelated sources, representatives of the ruling party are seizing identity cards from public sector employees and socially vulnerable individuals against their will.

● On October 12, 2024, a journalistic investigation published in the media uncovered new facts regarding the use of administrative resources.

It was revealed that employees of government institutions are being systematically asked to collect personal data, both their own and that of their family members, in favor of “Georgian Dream,” to subsequently pass it on to the ruling party.

● A secret list that came into the hands of journalists included the personal data of employees from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Gardabani municipal mayor’s office, the Oil and Gas Corporation, Air Navigation, the United Airports, and their family members.

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● The disseminated information raises legitimate suspicions of illegal collection and use of personal data, coercive influence on the will of voters, as well as abuse and exceeding official authority. Accordingly, there are signs of crimes as defined in Articles 157, 164/4, 332, and 333 of the Criminal Code.

● The publicly presented data serves as grounds for initiating an investigation; however, the investigative authorities have yet to provide any explanations regarding these facts.

● We call on the Special Investigative Service and the Prosecutor’s Office to promptly initiate an investigation into this matter and to provide the public with information on the progress of the investigation as soon as possible, as such facts cause significant harm not only to each voter but to the electoral process as a whole.