Rati Kharatishvili
On December 23, representatives of Human Rights Center held press-conference about malicious practice in the penitentiary system and discussed case of the convicted Ilia Abkhazava. As the lawyer Tamar Lukava of HRIDC said 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.
“According to the convicted Ilia Abkhazava, on October 29, prison personnel physically and psychologically abused him in the isolation cell. As Abkhazava claimed other prisoners also insulted him,” the lawyer Tamar Lukava said.
According to the lawyer, the convicted person protested his inhuman treatment but there was no reaction so far. The investigative department of the Ministry of Corrections questioned Ilia Abkhazava only 1 year later for completely different case – he is accused of the passion illegal subject in the prison – single-use shaving razor.
Convicted 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.
“Instead getting interested in the fact and investigate alleged abuse of power by its personnel, the Ministry of Corrections introduced a malicious practice – promotion of the personnel,” Tamar Lukava said.
The lawyer claims that before placing in the isolation cell Abkhazava was completely examined, he did not have any personal items and any communication with other prisoners. “It is impossible that Abkhazava had illegal subject with him.”
The convicted person addressed 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.
“It is ineffective, outdated and malicious practice when general inspections of the ministries investigate/study the alleged abuse of power or other crimes committed by the officers of the law enforcement bodies or penitentiary system,” executive director of Human Rights Center Aleko Tskitishvili said.
According to Aleko Tskitishvili the ongoing developments create well-ground doubts that prisoners, who were victims of inhuman treatment, are compelled to deny past inhuman treatment and torture facts against them and sign documents declaring that they have no complaints about anybody. “Threat to add new imprisonment terms for new or provoked crimes is used as an oppression tool against them. After they deny past facts of inhuman treatment, the prisoners are offered to sign plea-agreements.”
Executive director of Human Rights Center said the organization 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.
Also, the Center calls on the 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.
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