**Ministry of Internal Affairs Spying on Protesters**
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is using facial recognition cameras to identify and monitor peaceful protesters, a lawyer’s group claims. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) says this practice is used to intimidate citizens and control their behavior.
In one case, a video presented as evidence in court showed a protester being followed by a camera in “live mode.” The camera zoomed in on the person’s papers when they were standing with their back to it. This suggests that someone was manually controlling the cameras to gather information.
GYLA says this is an infringement of the protesters’ freedom of expression and right to private life. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that using facial recognition technology in such a way is incompatible with democratic values.
**Targeted Surveillance**
The Ministry’s use of facial recognition cameras is widespread, particularly in cases where people are accused of blocking roads during protests. In these cases, the court often relies on photos from the cameras to identify offenders, ignoring the context and whether the identification was done legally.
GYLA claims that this practice is used to intimidate citizens and control their behavior, creating a “chilling effect” that prevents people from exercising their freedom of expression.
**Call for Investigation**
The lawyer’s group has called on the Personal Data Protection Service to investigate this matter and take effective action. They are concerned that the Ministry is trying to obtain access to personal information of peaceful protesters in an illegal manner.
GYLA believes that the use of facial recognition technology in this way is a threat to democracy and individual rights.
