This_Affects_You_Too

(DF Watch.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–NGOs in Georgia demand the creation of an investigative tool to combat the spreading of videos depicting people’s intimate lives and they want international experts to be involved in this.

The initiative comes from organizations which are part of something called ‘This Affects You Too’; a campaign against secret surveillance and wiretapping made up of Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association, Open Society Georgia Foundation, ISFED and other groups.

On Monday, the NGOs met with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and heads of law enforcement bodies and laid their case out at a press conference.

The question they want answers to is: what has been done in order to fight the problem of secretly recorded videos?

“This is not just publishing videos of private life. It is blackmail. This is blackmailing the entire society and it is an attack on democracy and the election period,” Ana Natsvlishvili, head of GYLA, said at the press conference.

She said that over the last few days, people have witnessed the publishing of several videos depicting the sex life of people, which means that those who are spreading the videos aren’t afraid of being held responsible.

Keti Khutsishvili, Executive Director of OSGF, said that publishing those videos is an attack on the government and pro-Western opposition forces and it is an attempt to create chaos in society, which is primarily in the interest of the neighbor country and pro-Russian forces.

The organizers of the press conference said that the campaign This Affects You Too will be activated, as the things that have happened the last few days are a sign that there needs to be taken swift and reasonable steps.

The NGOs announced that March 19 they will hold a rally against the spreading of videos depicting the personal lives of people.