Mtavari Arkhi accuses SSG of illegal surveillance of MPs, journalists, clergy, and opposition leaders

By Khatia Bzhalava

Tuesday, August 3

Journalists, as well as representatives of civil society organizations, state that they recognize their conversation in the scripts provided by Mtavari Arkhi and confirm their authenticity.

According to the State Security Service, the spread of misinformation serves to deliberately discredit the SSG.

Nika Gvaramia, founder and CEO of opposition-minded Mtavari-Arkhi TV channel has accused the State Security Service of eavesdropping on politicians, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and journalists. Gvaramia released alleged memos of the SSG, involving spying on telephone conversations of President Salome Zurabishvili, current and former employees of the government office, opposition and civil society representatives, foreign diplomats as well as the alleged surveillance of the intimate life of GD representatives, businessmen and clergy.

Gvaramia claims that the SSG is collecting the illegal data for Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party. He warned Georgian Dream that if any of the information on private citizens is leaked, the blame is upon the Georgian Dream. According to Mtavari Arkhi, all information reflects the pre-election period of 2020 and the current year.

According to the Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Archil Talakvadze, the information spread by Mtavari TV is ‘another fake news’. Talakvadze ruled out the existence of recordings, claiming that “these are texts that any person can write”.

Yesterday, the State Security Service released a statement in response to the allegations. As the statement reads the agency carries out its activities in full compliance with the constitution and the spread of misinformation serves to deliberately discredit the SSG and mislead the public.

“As part of the information war, specific media outlets are using all means to use current situation in the country to achieve their own political goals and to make the society more polarized,” reads the statement, adding that the discrediting, disinformation campaign against state agencies is an anti-state action.

NGOs have released a statement saying that the government is using SSG as a total control mechanism. According to the statement, Giorgi Mgeladze, investigative journalist of RFE/RL, as well as Giorgi Oniani, Guram Imnadze, and Giorgi Mshvenieradze, representatives of civil society organizations mentioned in the script, confirm the authenticity of the conversation provided by Mtavari Arkhi.

“The information published in the media yesterday once again shows that no one is protected from the control of the SSG in the country, including representatives of non-governmental organizations, media, political groups,” reads the statement signed by 9 organizations.