We would like to respond to the statement made on October 17, 2014, by the Director General of the Rustavi 2 TV station, Nika Gvaramia, on his Facebook page in which he talks about a violation of privacy of his personal correspondence.

Nika Gvaramia points out that the correspondence in his email and Skype accounts, which contained personal conversations between him and his friends, was hacked. He also says he has evidence proving the aforementioned at his disposal. He is ready to cooperate with investigative bodies, so that the person who violated his constitutional right is punished.

The information that was disseminated contains signs of a crime punishable by the Criminal Code of Georgia. Specifically, according to Article 159 of the CCG, disclosure of privacy of personal correspondence, telephone conversations, or other messages is punishable.

The criminal procedural legislation of Georgia obliges investigative bodies to launch an investigation into facts of crime immediately and without any conditions. Any type of information that indicates to a fact containing signs of a crime constitutes grounds for launching an investigation.

The aforementioned information is made particularly important by the fact that Nika Gvaramia is the director of the TV station that is often the target of criticism by the authorities and of statements that contain certain threats.

Proceeding from the aforementioned, Georgian Democracy Initiative and the Media Development Foundation call on the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and the relevant investigative bodies to launch an investigation into the aforementioned fact in a timely manner, which is their law-imposed and positive obligation.