The MRF has sent alerts to all competent European institutions, Europol and Interpol with regard to the unprecedented leakage and large-scale abuse of personal data of citizens of the EU and of third countries stemming from the so-called “PNR-Gate”.
These alerts pertain to the glaring abuse of the PRN (Passenger Name Record) data of more than 100 000 persons, citizens of different countries, and the unlawful use of data extracted from the National Unit for Recording and Processing Reservation Data of Travellers in the Republic of Bulgaria on the part of the Minister of the Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev, in collaboration with the acting Director of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), Stancho Stanchev, and the Director of the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime of the Ministry of the Interior, Martin Zlatkov. The alerts further detail the divulging and promulgation of this data in public and on the media, in order to further political aims, with absolutely no connection to any form of criminal investigation.
In parallel with this, letters have been sent to the embassies of all countries whose citizens have potentially been affected. Notification has also been sent to their relevant data protection bodies and the national structure which operate the PNR-system, as well as European NGOs involved in the protection of democracy, civil rights and the protection of personal data.
These alerts focus on the violation of three European directives and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the GDPR regulations.
The submitters have attached details information and proof for each one of the violations.
In response to this scandalous PNR-Gate, rapid actions to establish the abuse must be taken. Urgent sanctions must also be imposed to stem such leaks which compromise the international security system, undermine the authority of Bulgaria as a loyal partner, and create the risk of thousands of civil cases for the blatant violation of human rights.
