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, […]
Zurab Adeishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Interpol did not ask Georgian prosecutors for additional information before deciding to call off the search for a former justice minister. Yesterday, the story broke that Interpol no longer has a so-called red notice on its webpage seeking the arrest […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Interpol has revoked a red notice seeking the arrest and extradition of Georgia’s former Justice Minister Zurab Adeishvili. Last year, the organization announced an international search for Adeishvili, along with former Defense Minister […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court has placed a former deputy chief prosecutor in pre-trial detention. Davit Chkhatarashvili, the former deputy of former Chief Prosecutor Murtaz Zodelava, was December 7 detained and charged with organizing staged torture videos […]
Davit Chkhatarashvili. (IPN.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia have detained a former deputy prosecutor and charged him with participating in filming videos of staged torture at a prison in Tbilisi. The Prosecutor’s Office charges Davit Chkhatarashvili, the former first deputy of ex-Chief […]
The release of the videos shocked Georgians one year ago. TBILISI, DFWatch–Local and international human rights organizations are to examine the footage of prisoner abuse, one year after it created a firestorm of criticism in Georgia. A handful of videos were leaked to the media by a former prison guard less than two weeks […]
“Of course I didn’t know,” Khatuna Kalmakhelidze said on Friday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Prosecutor’s Office in Georgia Friday summoned the former prison and defense ministers to question them about the torture in the prisons during the Saakashvili regime. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, it has found, after a number […]
Crowds awaiting the verdict in the case against Bacho Akhalaia. Many see him as responsible for the prison torture. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Three people were Tuesday detained at a rally outside Tbilisi City Court where the case against ex-minister Bacho Akhalaia went on. In a few days, the court will announce its verdict in the final case against Akhalaia which deals with torture […]
Most of the abuse took place at Gldani prison in Tbilisi, where the whistleblower Bedukadze used to work. (DFWatch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili criticizes the chief prosecutor for having freed a former prison guard from criminal responsibility for torturing prisoners because he blew the whistle on the scandal. The whistleblower, Vladimer Bedukadze, was released […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–After criticism from the US Congress the government in Georgia decided to display proof of the former government’s illegal actions and organized a presentation of videos showing torture and mistreatment. There was first a screening for diplomats […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Interior Ministry in Georgia changed its mind about publishing videos showing torture of prisoners, but said nine persons have been detained regarding the discovery of the weapons cache where the videos were found. Minister of Internal Affairs […]
Georgia’s Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In Georgia, Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili plans to release a video today at a meeting where also foreign diplomats will be present. The video is said to contain strong scenes of sexual abuse of prisoners and was discovered in an underground […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A court in Tbilisi determined sixteen persons as guilty of torture of prisoners, humiliation and mistreatment, but recognized Vladmier Bedukadze, the person who released the video footage documenting it, as innocent. He was freed from criminal […]
Nino Gobronidze is Project Coordinator at Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association. When thinking about the crucial events of the year 2012, what comes to my mind first is the prison abuse scandal. The released videos depicting the various acts of torture and ill-treatment […]
A guard tower in Rustavi prison. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two former inspectors at a prison in Rustavi, a town just south of Tbilisi, have been detained, suspected of mistreatment of prisoners. Interpressnews quotes a representative of the regional prosecutor’s office who gave the names of the detainees […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia have detained two prison employees for torturing and raping a prisoner in 2012. The detentions took place at Ksani prison north of the capital. Two other employees are being searched for in the same case. The Prosecutor’s Office […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Several hundred prisoners have complained to the public defender’s office from September of 2012 until the end of the year saying they were subject to mistreatment by prison staff. The disturbing figures are included in the ombudsman’s annual […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A former high official in the Georgian prison system admits guilt in a case of mistreatment and torture of prisoners, but says he was a victim of the Saakashvili regime.Gaga Mkurnalidze, former deputy chairman of the Prison Department, is one of 17 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Non-governmental organizations say the cases of torture in the prisons, which caused a wave of demonstrations in September, 2012 and preceded the ruling party’s election defeat, have not been investigated by the new government. “Despite an […]
Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili (Interpressnews). TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s chief prosecutor says he has “material” which is even more violent and shocking than videos leaked two weeks before the parliamentary election last year, which set off a wave of demonstrations. Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili […]
Vladimer Bedukadze was released on bail January 19, 2013. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — The man who published the videos that spurred the prisoner abuse scandal was today released on USD 1 200 bail. Tbilisi City Court Saturday evening released Vladimer Bedukadze, the former employee of Prison No 8, where the majority of torture cases […]
Vladimer Bedukadze blew the whistle on the abuse of prisoners in Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Police in Georgia Thursday morning detained former prison guard Vladimer Bedukadze at Tbilisi airport, as he arrived from Istanbul. Bedukadze last year published five video clips documenting prisoner abuse, which caused a public outrage that led […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has officially charged a former Justice Minister in absentia for abuse of power and being responsible for torturing prisoners. Zurab Adeishvili, the former Justice Minister in Saakashvili’s government who […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has concluded an investigation of a handful of videos showing torture of prisoners which sparked protests two weeks before the election in October, 2012. The videos were published September 19, and showed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into one of the prison torture videos that shook the country two weeks before the 2012 parliamentary election. The first of six videos was published in the morning of September 18, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prosecutors in Georgia are preparing to press charges in several cases of prison abuse, based on a series of leaked videos which spurred a major scandal in September. Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili said at a press conference on Tuesday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Bacho Akhalaia, a firm Saakashvili loyalist and former government official, has been ordered to appear at the prosecutor’s office for interrogation today at 20:30. Archil Kbilashvili, Georgia’s new Chief Prosecutor, said at a special […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The unrest in Georgia’s prison system has spread to the most infamous facility in the country: Ksani prison north of Tbilisi. At No 15 Facility, as it is officially called, thousands of prisoners have gone on hunger strike demanding that the recently appointed […]
The director of Rustavi prison has been suspended while allegations against him of abuse are under review. But the general inspection will not fully study the situation in this prison. The prison in Rustavi, about 20 km south of the capital, started on Wednesday. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says there are signs of sabotage at No 16 prison in Rustavi. The prison minister says a criminal investigation may be launched against the director if there is proven that violence. People with loved ones inside […]
Prisoners in Rustavi prison have gone on hunger strike in protest against cruel treatment by staff. The new director at Rustavi Prison Number 16 has been implicated in cruel treatment of prisoners, as have some of his staff. Representatives of Georgian Young […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prisoners in a prison south of Tbilisi Wednesday protested, demanding the new director’s resignation. Prisoners claim that the director Levan Aburjania, a former policeman, threatened them with torture. Shortly before the new prison minister was approved by the new parliament, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The prisoner whom the government claimed orchestrated the prisoner abuse videos has been released. Tamaz Tamazashvili, the father-in-law of the likely candidate for new interior minister, was Wednesday released from prison. When leaving prison Tamazashvili […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The prison minister in Georgia says he will put together a monitoring group to let human rights activists and the media into facilities to check the conditions. Apart from non-governmental organizations and the media, the monitoring group will also have […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Groups on Sunday protested against the attack on a well-known Georgian writer who was beaten after participating in a TV debate about the publishing of the names of prison employees by a newspaper. About 50 people gathered outside a police station […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Protests continue after a Georgian newspaper published the names of employees at a prison scandalized by revelations of torture. On Saturday evening, a well-known writer who has been engaging in the protests was attacked and beaten. Asaval-Dasavali, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s prison ministry informs that a suicide might have taken place at No 18 prison hospital. The body of a prisoner was found in the bathroom of the prison hospital September 5. The cause of death was hanging. The prisoner had been placed in the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — One of Georgia’s most popular newspapers on Wednesday revealed the identity of guards working in a controversial prison where serious abuse was revealed two weeks ago. The list shows the names, address and date of birth of prison guards and employees working at […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) says the use of administrative detention recently has a political background. GYLA thinks 23 cases of administrative detention between 21. and 24. August are suspicios. The persons who have been […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office Wednesday reported that it had arrested the twelfth person so far for involvement in prison torture after a series of videos one week ago documented physical and sexual abuse by staff against inmates. Mamuka […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – «Your Democracy Hurts” — this is one of the messages students have been sending to the government through their demonstrations all over the capital for the last week. The demonstrations against torture in the prisons continue. About eleven […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Youth continue to protest against prison abuse in Tbilisi. Thursday there was no large scale protest but different groups of students gathered at different places to express their protest to various government bodies. The seven people who were on […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The wave of rallies and demonstrations against torture in the prison system shows no signs of abating in Georgia, as on Monday thousands of youth took to the streets to demonstrate. The organizers were several youth organizations, and people […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Groups in Georgia demands that the former prison minister, former interior minister, current justice minister and current chief prosecutor are banned from civilized countries because of their cruel and inhuman treatment of citizens. The appeal […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s ombudsman says Dachi Tsaguria and Beka Aladoshvili, who were arrested on Saturday, were verbally and physically abused during pre-trial detention. Dachi Tsaguria and his friend Beka Alodashvili were arrested on Saturday. Tsaguria […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – “I bet daddy can see me here,” a boy of about 12 told her grandmother, both standing on a small hill in front of Prison No 8. It was evening and beginning to get dark. His grandmother was counting cell windows, as she knew the cell number where […]
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 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Prison employees who committed torture and humiliating abuse in a Tbilisi prison are still going to work as normal, inmates say. Prisoners at Gldani prison told this to journalists who were let in. They named the names of specific persons who have […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Galina Nemsitsveridze waited outside the entrance hall of Gldani prison on Friday, like hundreds of other people trying to see their sons and husbands. Galina’s son was suspected of sexually abusing his future wife together with two persons and put […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Saturday, a crowd of demonstrators tried to move in on a public service building in Tbilisi as President Mikheil Saakashvili was inside attending the opening ceremony. But police blocked the road and prevented people outraged over recent revelations […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The first new story of prisoner abuse has surfaced after President Saakashvili began a major shakeup of Georgia’s prison system. The attempt at “resetting” the prison reform comes after a wave of criticism following several videos showing […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Student groups gathered outside of Gldani prison Friday, in a more scaled down protest against prisoner abuse than earlier in the week. Organizers decided not to hold a mass rally on Friday to avoid provocation. They […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s new prison minister today visited Gldani prison accompanied by journalists. He said prisoners told him that the situation has changed to the positive the last two days. Nino Zuriashvili, investigative journalist, said they observed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Anger is not abating in Georgia, after the second minister leaves because of revelations of prisoner abuse. The largest crowd of demonstrators seen so far in this crisis swept through the central thoroughfare of Tbilisi Thursday evening, […]
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 […]
