Personal Data Protection Inspector of Georgia initiated inspection of lawfulness of conducting video and audio surveillance in the penitentiary establishments on the basis of the disclosure of the video recordings of the Bacho Akhalaia’s cell.

Video recordings reflecting screenshots of November 2012 from the Bacho Akhalaia cell were disseminated through different mass-media means. The recordings reveal the screenshots of Bacho Akhalaia and other people entering his cell as well.

For the purposes of inspecting the lawfulness of video and audio surveillance, the Personal Data Protection Inspector addressed the Head of the Penitentiary Department, Mikheil Ghurckaia, as well as the Minister of Corrections and Legal Aid, Sozar Subari and asked them to provide the following information: copy of consent expressed by Bacho Akhalaia on the video and audio monitoring of his cell, information about the purposes and legal grounds of the video and audio surveillance, whether or not persons entering the cell were informed about the video/audio surveillance and what measures were undertaken to ensure security of the recordings and to avoid unauthorized access to them.

On the basis of disclosed recordings the Personal Data Protection Inspector of Georgia plans to study and inspect the issue of conducting the video and audio surveillance in penitentiary establishments