parliament

(Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of NGOs based in Tbilisi warn that they are going on the offensive against the country’s parliament, which recently overturned a veto by President Margvelashvili against giving the Interior Ministry control over the means to conduct secret surveillance.

The NGOs vow to protest against the parliament’s decision, not only by going out in the streets and demonstrating, but also by suing the Georgian state in the Constitutional Court.

“We think we will win this case,” said Eka Gigauri, director of Transparency International, one of the NGOs behind the campaign.

Giorgi Kldiashvili, Director of Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) says that under the new amendments, Interior Ministry retains authority on secret surveillance unless the server leaves the ministry.

“Interior Ministry’s dominance regarding secret surveillance must end,” he says.

One of the other groups behind the campaign is ISFED.