Lisbon city hall fined 1.25 thousand euros for transferring data of Russian activists to the Russian embassy

The Portuguese Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) has notified Russian opposition activists of its decision to impose a fine of 1,250,000 euros on the Lisbon City Hall following their complaint that the personal data of the organizers of rallies in the Portuguese capital was sent to the Russian embassy. About it on Twitter informed activist Pavel Elizarov, who received asylum in Portugal and organizes protest events there on the internal Russian agenda.

“It is not yet clear how the fine will be collected – apparently, from the city budget to the national one. It seems to me that the fact that the mayor of Lisbon [Фернандо] Medina lost his post during this time, it will be a better guarantee against the repetition of such cases in the future than this fine, ”Elizarov suggested.

He clarified that the fine would go to the Portuguese budget, and not in favor of opposition activists.

Recall that the scandal erupted when the local media found out that the mayor’s office passed on information about the applicants for the action in support of Alexei Navalny, who is in the colony, to the Russian Foreign Ministry and the embassy.

Medina issued a public apology for what had happened. According to him, “an unfortunate bureaucratic error” occurred. “This should not have happened, and I personally apologized to those who applied for the rally,” the mayor said.

In Portugal, since 2011, government agencies, including diplomatic missions, have been notified by local authorities that a protest event will be held next to the buildings they occupy. Officials are also given addresses and phone numbers of applicants. In connection with the disclosure of the data of the Russian opposition, the mayor’s office limited the circle of recipients of such notifications.