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Human Rights Center Appeals to Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) – Minister Legalizes Inhuman Treatment of Prisoners

August 31, 2012
Human Rights Center again expresses its concern about increased number of inmates in Georgian prisons and simultaneously protests government’s attempt to primitively camouflage this unpleasant trend.

Namely, since the number of prisoners exceeded the estimated limit in penitentiary settings, Ministry of Corrections and Legal Aid of Georgia found an easy solution – increased quantitative limits of accused and convicted people in cells.

Eradication of the law violation in similar way caused farther overcrowding of custodies and increased facts of inhuman treatment of prisoners.

More precisely, on May 7, 2012 Minister of Corrections and Legal Aid Khatuna Kalmakhelidze issued decree # 63 – “About imprisonment and detention settings of the penitentiary department of the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Aid of Georgia” on the introduction of amendments to the December 27, 2010 Decree # 184 of the Minister of Corrections and Legal Aid of Georgia. The last decree was put in force on May 11, 2012 and consequently, new limits of placement accused and convicted people in detention settings went in force.

Human Rights Center compared old and new limits and received the following reality:

New limit of placing accused and convicted people in the Prison # 1 (institution for imprisonment and closed detention of mixed type, Gorgasali Street # 85, Tbilisi) – 1 086
Old limit in the same institution – 750 

New limit in the Prison # 4 (institution for imprisonment and closed detention of mixed type, Ts. Dadiani Str. 9, Zugdidi) -390
Old limit in the same institution – 305

New limit in Prison # 5 (institution for imprisonment and closed detention of mixed type for women – Mtisdziri village, Gardabani district) - 1349 
Old limit - 1 200

New limit in Prison # 6 (institution for imprisonment and closed detention of mixed type in Mtsidziri village, Gardabani village) – 1 601
Old limit in the same institution – 1 400

New limit in Prison # 9 (semi open and closed detention setting in Tbel Abuseridze Str. 11, Tbilisi) – 1 142
Old limit – 970

New limit in Prison # 12 (semi open and closed detention setting in Gorgasali # 77, Tbilisi) – 730
Old limit - 700 

New limit in Prison # 14 (semi open and closed detention setting in Vartsikhe settlement, Geguti village, Tskaltubo) – 2 690
Old limit - 2 500

 New limit in Prison # 15 (semi open and closed detention setting Ksani, Mtskheta district) – 3 861
Old limit - 3 300

It is noteworthy that because of increased limits in penitentiary settings, prisoner cannot enjoy even the space estimated by the national law that is less than 4 sq. meters - European standard recommended by the CPT. 

This particular decree of the Minister camouflages overcrowding problem and aims to mislead both society and the CPT.

According to international standards, 4 sq. meters of space shall be allocated for each prisoner in a common cell but in separate cells, its space shall be no less than 7 sq. meters. 

By estimating new limits for the accused and convicted people, inhuman treatment of prisoners was legitimized in fact. Human Rights Center requests to annul the May 7, 2012 Decree # 63 of Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, Minister of Correction and Legal Aid and raise responsibility of the decree’s author.

Human Rights Center requested responsibility of the Minister of Corrections and Legal Aid of Georgia two months ago too (see statement of the Human Rights Center on its website: - One More Dead Prisoner – Human Rights Center Requests Liability of the Minister). Since then, the members of the Government of Georgia have been changed several times but Khatuna Kalmakhelidze still occupies the position.

Human Rights Center
31.08.12  

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