The Public Defender has addressed the Akhmeta Governor with a recommendationconcerningthe legality of non-provision of information to the media.

In a letter of June 1, 2015, the Akhmeta district administration refusedKakhetiInformationCenterto provide official contact information and identities of representatives of the municipality governor on the grounds that they were not officials and that the requested information represented personal data as per the law on Personal Data Protection.

The Public Defender considers that the legal reasoning offered in the letter is not based on comprehensive analysis of the Law on Personal Data Protection. As per the provisions of the municipality, official activities of governor's representatives are directly related to the fulfillment of municipality functions, public relations and provision of information. Governor’s representatives will not be able to properly fulfill their obligations if population is not aware of their identity and official contact information, which will finally impede citizens' engagement in the self-governance process.

The Public Defender believes that the Akhmeta district administration restricted the legal right of Kakheti Information Center to get information, by refusing to provide them with official contact information and identities of representatives of the Akhmeta Governor.