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Address of Human Rights Center about Malicious Practice in Penitentiary System of Georgia

December 23, 2015
 
Human Rights Center again expresses deep concern about the biased approach of the investigative department of the Ministry of Corrections towards the abuse of power and ill-treatment of prisoners by the personnel of the penitentiary establishments.

On October 28, 2014 convicted Ilia Abkhazava was taken from the prison # 8 to the prison # 6 without all clarifications; prison # 6 was under construction and only the prisoners working in the economy unit of prison were placed in the facility by that time. Ilia Abkhazava never worked in the economy unit so it is unclear why he was taken to the prison # 6 without any clarifications.

Ilia Abkhazava claims the prison personnel brought him to the point of suicide. Next day of his delivery, he was placed in the isolation cell for no reasons, where he spent 20 days; the prison personnel threatened him with the assault which would impact his future life. According to the prisoner, the employees of the prison # 6 systematically insulted him and other convicts verbally and physically.

The convicted person petitioned to the investigative department of the Ministry of Corrections about the abuse of power and inhuman treatment by prison personnel and requested to start investigation against them but in vain. Just the opposite, a year later, in the end of his imprisonment term, the investigative department questioned him with regard to a new charge where they claimed he had forbidden subject in prison.

Based on the aforementioned circumstances Human Rights Center has reasonable doubt that it is example of wrong practice established in the penitentiary establishment when victims of inhuman treatment are oppressed to deny the past facts of inhuman treatment and sign the document declaring that they have no complaints about ill-treatment. The prison personnel threaten the convicts with new charges or new accusations on provoked crimes. After the prisoners deny ill-treatment facts, plea-agreements are signed with them. 

Human Rights Center calls on:

The investigative department of the Ministry of Corrections to take timely and effective measures to address abuse of power and inhuman treatment of prisoners by the personnel of penitentiary establishments; 

Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia to study alleged facts of abuse of power and inhuman treatment of the prisoner Ilia Abkhazava by the personnel of the Prison # 6; to interrogate those prison officers who conducted “full examination” of the prisoner;

Chairwoman of the Human Rights and Civic Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia to exercise effective parliamentary control over the Ministry of Corrections and Chief Prosecutor’s Office for the defense of the rights of the Prisoner Ilia Abkhazava. 

Human Rights Center 

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