mistreatment of prisoners

Six former prison guards in Georgia will face trial for torture

By | May 12th, 2017|Categories: Prisoner abuse|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Six former guards at the notorious Penitentiary No 8 in Tbilisi have been detained for alleged torture of prisoners during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili. Legal proceedings have been launched against former Head of Legal Regimen of the same facility, […]

WATCH TRAILER: New TV series about Saakashvili regime’s crimes

By | August 29th, 2016|Categories: News|Tags: , , |

Film director Goga Khaindrava. (Pirveli.) A scene from the trailer. TBILISI, DFWatch–The first episode of a new TV series about the crimes of the Saakashvili regime premiered at Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi on Saturday (watch trailer below). Georgian filmmaker and political activist Goga Khaindrava finished work on the documentary TV series, […]

Election ad featuring Putin causes outcry in Georgia

By | August 15th, 2016|Categories: Politics|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–A ten seconds long election video has caused a strong reaction from Georgia’s political establishment and calls for using legal means to stop the party behind it. The provocative advertisement ran on the Public Broadcaster’s Channel 1 Saturday night […]

NGOs demand the creation of an independent investigative body

By | February 23rd, 2016|Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

(OSGF.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government representatives Monday discussed the possibility of creating an independent body to investigative crimes committed by law enforcement. The discussion revealed disagreement […]

Prosecutor’s Office investigating possible prisoner mistreatment

By | November 23rd, 2014|Categories: News|Tags: |

(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Prosecutor’s Office is investigating a possible mistreatment case at Gldani prison (“No 8”) in Tbilisi. The investigation will involve questioning prison staff and prisoners and conducting a forensic examination of bodily injuries which were recently […]

Ombudsman asks to investigate possible beating in Gldani prison

By | November 20th, 2014|Categories: News|Tags: |

(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ombudsman claims they have reason to believe prisoners were tortured last week at a prison in Gldani, Tbilisi; the very same prison where humiliating abuse of prisoners was filmed and shown on TV two years ago. The public defender […]

Lawyer group demands effective investigation of prisoner abuse

By | April 3rd, 2014|Categories: News|Tags: , , |

Kakha Kojoridze from Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) demands that the government starts investigating several cases of possible mistreatment of prisoners. According to GYLA, 17 persons have contacted the organization the last 2 months, eight of them tell about […]

Complaints against Georgia at Strasbourg court drops 70%

By | February 17th, 2014|Categories: News|Tags: , |

Nana Kakabadze (seated, right) and other members of the group Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights in January, 2013. Most complaints against Georgia have been about prisoner abuse. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The number of complaints against Georgia at the European Court of Human Rights has been reduced by 70 percent. On Sunday, the Ministry of Justice published information showing that there were 375 complaints against Georgia at the Strasbourg-based […]

Several prisoners hospitalized in Geguti, Georgia

By | February 10th, 2014|Categories: News|Tags: , , |

Geguti prison camp. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Several prisoners at Geguti prison in Georgia have been taken to hospital with self-inflicted injuries. Doctors say their health is in no danger. For several days, about 800 prisoners have been on hunger strike at the prison, which is in the west of the country. Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili, who visited the prison camp on Monday, said 46 prisoners have self-inflicted injuries, but some of the prisoners who were taken to hospital in Kutaisi were feeling bad because of hunger. […]

800 prisoners on hunger strike in Geguti, Georgia

By | February 8th, 2014|Categories: News|Tags: , |

Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–About 800 prisoners are on hunger strike in a prison in Geguti in western Georgia, Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili says. Nanuashvili said after meeting with prisoners on Friday that about 800 are on hunger strike demanding that the Prosecutor’s Office […]

Georgia to allow dogs, peppers spray, batons against prisoners

By | January 27th, 2014|Categories: News|Tags: |

Prison No 8 in Gldani, Tbilisi. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The government in Georgia wants to make it legal to use pepper spray, batons and dogs in prisons for security reasons. Today, if a prisoner poses a danger, he may be chained or placed in a restraining jacket. The government has drafted a bill with […]

Georgian ombudsman reports mistreatment in prison

By | December 28th, 2013|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Public Defender claims his staff witnessed mistreatment of a prisoner. Ucha Nanuashvili on Friday appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office to start investigation of Prison No 8 in Gldani. The Ombudsman’s statement says employees visited the […]

Three prison staff out on bail in Kortava case

By | August 11th, 2013|Categories: News|Tags: , |

The court building in Kutaisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Three prison staff suspected of wrongdoing in connection with the death of a prisoner in a town in western Georgia were Saturday released on bail. The Appeals Court in Georgia’s second city Kutaisi decided to release Giga Kokhodze, Aleko Babunashvili […]

Three detained after suspicious prisoner death

By | August 6th, 2013|Categories: News|Tags: , , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Three persons have been placed in pre-trial detention for two months pending trial, after a suspicious death of a prisoner. The prisoner, Levan Kortava, died May 23 at the prison hospital after being moved there from Geguti prison, a village […]

Juvenile prisoners in Georgia are suffering, says group

By | October 30th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch — Psychologists say juvenile prisoners are serving time under very bad conditions in Georgia. Georgian Centre for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT) found out that juvenile prisoners were tortured last year. Head […]

Second group of prisoners go on hunger strike

By | September 28th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Thirteen prisoners from one of Georgia’s prisons went on hunger strike for five days until the election as way of showing their protest against torture and mistreatment of prisoners. Representatives of the public defender September 26 visited […]

Prisoners go on hunger strike over abuse

By | September 23rd, 2012|Categories: In brief, News|Tags: , , |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Public Defender’s Office informs that several prisoners at facility No 15 in Mtskheta near Tbilisi have gone on hunger strike to show solidarity with victims of torture. According to the ombudsman’s rapporteurs, prisoners went on hunger […]

Another video shows abuse of psychiatric patients

By | September 21st, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The sixth video clip showing prisoner abuse was aired Thursday by TV9. It seems to shows mentally ill persons who are inmates in Gldani prison and are being humiliated and forced to dance and sing. Gldani prison is where the majority of torture […]

EU Statement on Georgia prisoner abuse

By | September 20th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: , |

The European Union Wednesday issued a statement regarding the ongoing scandal surrounding prisoner abuse in Georgia: “The EU Delegation is shocked by the appalling footage of abuses committed against inmates in Gldani prison. It is of vital importance that these […]

Saakashvili appoints ombudsman as prison minister

By | September 20th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili Thursday appointed the public defender as prison minister. Former prison minister Khatuna Kalmakhelidze resigned yesterday amidst a scandal spurred by the release of five videos showing prisoners being beaten […]

Harassed for trying to leave the ruling party

By | September 20th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Members of the ruling National Movement party who have left the party as sign of a protest against prisoner abuse revealed by the release of several videos say the government is harasses them and their family member and trying to stop them from […]

Prison guard tried to flee, others convicted

By | September 20th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Davit Akobia, former employee at Gldani prison — also known as Prison No 8 — was this morning arrested on the border with Armenia. He has been mentioned as one of the persons behind video footage showing torture of prisoner. The Prosecutor’s Office […]

Crisis continues over prisoner abuse

By | September 20th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Wednesday morning Georgia’s prison minister resigned after scandalous footage of prisoners torture was published in the media and through the internet. Tens and hundreds of thousand have protested all over Georgia, demanding the resignation of the […]

Underage prisoner sodomized by guards

By | September 19th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – In a new video clip of prisoner torture in Georgia, an underage prisoner is shown being sodomized by prison guards. The clip was aired today on the opposition channel TV9. It shows an underage prisoner (meaning under 18 years) being physically and […]

Prisoner abuse in Georgia – Saakashvili’s ticking time bomb

By | September 19th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – For the last 24 hours, the whole of Georgia has been concerned about five videos released by different sources that show physical and sexual abuse of prisoners. People spontaneously took to the streets to show their disgust, and protests are still […]

Saakashvili: ‘Georgia’s prison reforms a complete failure’

By | September 19th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president admits that Georgia’s prison system is a complete failure and needs to be repaired. Mikheil Saakashvili Wednesday instructed his prime minister to take responsibility for reforming the system and ensure the safety of […]

Massive outcry over prisoner abuse videos

By | September 19th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A series of protest rallies have erupted throughout the capital and large cities in Georgia, after shocking videos of prisoner abuse released by the interior ministry and aired on two opposition TV channels last night. Some of the footage appeared […]

Georgian “Abu Ghraib” causes public outrage in Tbilisi

By | September 19th, 2012|Categories: News, Prisoner abuse|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Four different videos showing physical and sexual abuse of prisoners in Georgian prisons has triggered a widespread public outrage and a demand for the prison minister to step down. The videos were released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Internal […]

Another prisoner dies in Georgia

By | August 3rd, 2012|Categories: In brief, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The prison ministry on Thursday reported that a prisoner has died at No 18 hospital. According to the ministry, the prisoner was convicted on June 19, 2012, for possession and sale of drugs. The cause of death is given as heart attack, the most […]

Prisoners to go on hunger strike before election

By | July 28th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Human rights campaigners in Georgia are organizing a hungerstrike among prisoners in connection with the election for parliament. Organizers are the groups ‘Political Prisoners against the Dictate of Five’, ‘For Protection of Human Rights’ […]

One more prisoner dies in Tbilisi, rumours abound

By | July 10th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – There is still no confirmation of an alleged raid of a prison in Tbilisi Friday night. In the meantime, one more prisoner has been confirmed dead. The Prison Ministry confirmed a second death at Geguti prison. Again, the cause of death was heart […]

Church appeals for mercy as another prisoner dies in Georgia

By | July 8th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Shortly after rumours of a raid inside the largest prison in the country, Georgia’s Prison Ministry reports of yet another prisoner death. The Patriarch calls on prison directors to treat inmates with more respect. The Ministry of Corrections […]

Unconfirmed reports about prison raid in Tbilisi

By | July 7th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Friday evening there was a rush of postings on Facebook and Internet forums saying that a special unit had raided the prison in Gldani, in northern Tbilisi, beaten the prisoners, resulting on two deaths. It started Friday evening when two Facebook […]

Human rights group alarmed by situation in Geo prisons

By | July 4th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Prisoners in Georgia are getting support from democracy campaigners who protested outside one of the most infamous prisons. Non-governmental organizations protested against prisoner abuse in No. 15 detention facility in Ksani at the hands of […]

Prisoner abuse papered over in Georgia

By | June 27th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The ombudsman in Georgia Tuesday asked the chief prosecutor to investigate suspected cases of prisoner mistreatment at Ksani prison. The plea came after some of the ombudsman’s inspectors met hundreds of prisoners in that prison on June 22 […]

Torture still a problem in Georgia’s prisons

By | June 26th, 2012|Categories: In brief, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Several groups in Georgia Tuesday demonstrated against ongoing torture in the country’s prisons. 140 prisoners died in prison during 2011 year, 40 percent of them had injuries on their body. The number of suspected cases of mistreatment gets longer […]

Georgian prisoners harassed for political views

By | June 13th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s ombudsman is reporting another case of mistreatment of a prisoners and asks the prosecutor to investigate the cases. The Public Defender writes that his team visited Manuchar Akhvlediani, Irakli Chantralze and Irakli Dundia, who are […]

Prisoner tells of sexual abuse and threatened silence

By | May 19th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A prisoner in Georgia says he was sexually abused by prison staff and later told he would be killed if he told the outside world about it. In a letter dated February 24, the prisoner asks for help and wants to be transferred to another prison. […]

Kalmakhelidze orders more crowded prisons in Georgia

By | May 14th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Prisons in Georgia are to become more crowded, as the maximum limit on number of inmates is raised, and two prisons are closed down. It’s the controversial Minister for Corrections and Legal Assistance, Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, who has ordered the […]

Georgia’s prison minister lied to get rid of protesters

By | May 4th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A spokesperson for the prison minister in Georgia Friday lied about her whereabouts to divert a crowd of protesters who were angry over a dead prisoner. A spokeswoman for prison minister Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, claimed that she was not in Tbilisi, […]

Prison death was caused by illness, not torture

By | May 4th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBLISI, DFWatch – An independent medical expert says the injuries seen on photos of a prisoner’s dead body were caused by a disease which was not properly treated. Zurab Delianidze died at Gldani prison hospital in Tbilisi. Media learned about his death from family […]

Tbilisians protested suspicious prison death

By | May 4th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch – People gathered in front of parliament Thursday to protest against mistreatment of prisoners, spurred by the news of another death of a prisoner who bore signs of having been beaten. Police reported that the prisoner died of a heart attack, but […]

Ombudsman calls for reduced number of prisoners

By | April 7th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Public Defender in Georgia believes the time has come to reduce the number of prisoners in the country. The ombudsperson said this at a joint session of parliamentary committees to discuss his report about the human rights situation last year. […]

Torture still happens in Georgia

By | April 4th, 2012|Categories: Opinion|Tags: , |

Giorgi Okroporidze – a convict, who suffered from something that authorities maintain “no longer happens”. He was tortured, writes Mikheil Ghoghadze, lawyer at Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association. In late December 2011, Giorgi Okropirize’s mother came to us. […]

Prisoners don’t dare to complain of mistreatment

By | March 29th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The current situation in Georgian prisons remains one of the main problems in the human rights field, according to the public defender’s annual report to parliament. About 300 pages out of 645 explain the conditions and problems in Georgian prisons. […]

In Georgia, 40% of prisoners who die have injuries

By | March 29th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian Public Defender on Thursday presented his annual report on human rights in the country. Among the most important problems is conditions in the prison and penitentiary system in Georgia, where human rights are often violated, according to […]

Prisoner torture ignored, claims MP

By | December 29th, 2011|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch - Giorgi Tsagareishvili, chairman of the faction Unity for Justice and the member of the Free Democrats accuses the government of prisoner torture and demands that the Chief Prosecutor’s office investigates the torturing of a 22 year old prisoner. He told reporters at a press conference that the director and a security officer at [...]

The right to health care and Georgia’s penitentiary system

By | December 28th, 2011|Categories: Opinion|Tags: , , |

Despite the fact that the Ministry of Corrections, Probation and Legal Assistance declared the reform of the penitentiary health care as one of the priority directions and carried our measures in this area, health care in prisons still remains the Achilles’ heel of Georgia’s penitentiary system. The situation is made difficult by the disproportionate distribution of [...]

Criticizes prisoner mistreatment

By | December 13th, 2011|Categories: In brief, News|Tags: |

Georgia’s ombudsman has published a new report which lays out the situation in the country’s detention centers, saying the situation remains problematic. The report was prepared by a team working under the ombudsmann’s office, tasked with carrying out Georgia’s obligations under a United Nations convention to monitor the situation in all detention facilities in order to [...]

Kidney operated prisoner beaten, but in “satisfactory condition”

By | December 8th, 2011|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch - The prison ministry in Georgia says about a prisoner with kidney problems who was beaten before and after his operation, that ‘the patient's health condition is satisfactory’. In a rare exception, the ministry Wednesday publicly made comments to a case about suspected prisoner abuse. The statement was their first comment about the case [...]