Prosecutor’s Office Details Former Prison Top Officials
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, April 17
The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has detained three former prison officials for inhumane and offensive treatment of inmates under the United National Movement leadership.
The detainees are the former head of Rustavi #6 prison, his deputy and the legal department head.
The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the three elaborated a plan in 2006 how to easily make prisoners obey and for this they and the prison staff verbally and physically abused prisoners, did not let them have an access to necessary items.
“In the period of the August-September 2006, the director of the facility, his deputy and the head of the Legal Regime Division, with complete ignorance of the provisions of the Prison Regime, developed their own rules of treatment with the convicts for their punishment for the aim of intimidation and uncomplaining obedience.
“The prisoners were deprived of the personal hygiene items granted by the law, the bed linen, and forced to stay nude and then they remained in a punishment cell in unbearable conditions despite low temperatures for many days. This type of inhumane treatment had the systemic character in the Penitentiary Facility No. 6 in Rustavi and was used without purpose to punish and intimidate prisoners,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.
The Prosecutor’s Office has addressed the court to use imprisonment as a pre-trial measure against the individuals. The court satisfied the motion in the afternoon.
If found guilty, the detainees will face 4-6 years in prison.
The European Court of Human Rights demanded investigation into the case in 2015, after the address of several inmates of the prison.
“Currently, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia investigates 27 criminal cases based on the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. All of these crimes were committed during the year of 2012,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.
The Office added that during the years 2017-2018, criminal prosecution was launched against 13 persons in 5 different criminal cases.
