Human rights group alarmed by situation in Geo prisons

Non-governmental organizations protested against prisoner abuse in No. 15 detention facility in Ksani at the hands of administration.

The protestors demanded that the Department of Corrections react immediately to events taking place in the facility, and for Georgia’s chief prosecutor’s office to investigate the incidents. They also demand that the facility’s administration and its employees stop mistreating prisoners immediately.

Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) and Transparency International Georgia joined the protest, which was organized by the Campaign for Civic Solidarity as a sign of solidarity to 693 prisoners who signed a petition about their situation on June 22. Two days later, 28 of those prisoners who signed the petition had been transferred to prison number 1 in Tbilisi. The prison administration offered no explanation for the transfer.

Tamar Chugoshvili, head of GYLA, said their lawyers met with prisoners, and nine of them confirmed that they had been tortured and abuses by prison staff.

There were no relatives of prisoners among participants at the gathering, with one exception: There was a mother of one prisoner, who requested a meeting with her son, to make sure that he has not been physically abused. Other relatives, who went out from the prison refused to make any comment. “We have a lot to say but it’s pointless” said one of them.

Eka Gigauri, head of Transparency International Georgia, said that the prison ministry is informed about the situation, and they have to study the problems and think how to solve them.

The press center of the prison ministry made a comment about the petition and claimed that they are not informed about such incidents as they have not received any petitions and do not have information about the matter. The ministry also did not make any concrete statements about the overall state of human rights in Ksani prison.

(2012-07-04/dfwatch)