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Deficiency of Food and Medicine in Kutaisi Prison

March 5, 2007

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“Prisoners rights are violated in Kutaisi prison,” said parents of prisoners that are currently held in detention facility #2 of the penitentiary system. They also commented on the inhumane and grotesque conditions of the facility in their appeal to the Human Rights Center’s Kutaisi office.

“The majority of the prisoners are plagued with various illnesses during their detainment. Most of them are badly ill and prison life does not improve their conditions. However, it is obvious that prison officials do not feel bad about the death of a prisoner. So many prisoners have fallen victim to the rampant diseases that spread like fire throughout the prison. The government should pay more attention to the prisoners and deliver more medicine in order to allow proper treatment to be carried out,” said mother of one of the prisoners, who preferred to stay anonymous. She is afraid that her son would be punished in the cell if she makes any statements publicly.

Human Rights Center has become interested in the prisoners’ conditions. Gocha Kupreishvili, chief doctor of the above-mentioned detention facility, did not deny that the medical situation is not satisfactory in the prison. However, he added that “every prisoner is medically tested and taken to the prison’s hospital if they need stationary or some other kind of treatment. The treatment is financed by the penitentiary department. The department delivers medicine and other medical supplies at the end of each month and we have had no problems thus far.”


Manana Managadze, the chairwoman of the Public Commission of detention facility # 2 offered a contradictory perspective. She said that “Medicine supply has remained a problem in the prison system for a long time. We have applied to the prison administration several times but to with no avail. Nothing has been changed. We could not draw their attention to the problem. Then we applied to some other sources for help, such as pharmaceutical firms and private people. Every prisoner should always have at least painkillers, especially if they’re being systematically beaten by guards,” said Managadze.

Members of the Monitoring Council of the Penitentiary Department commented on the violations in the prison on the day of its presentation. The problem regarding food and medicine shortages what brought up just after the so-called ‘European prison’ was opened.

“The food in the prison is beyond unsatisfactory. If one takes into consideration that 70% of detainees have serious health problems, for many, the food they are fed means a death sentence. The food is delivered to the prison 12 or very often 24 hours late. It is beyond all norms. Honey and butter can be taken to the prison for only those detainees who have tuberculosis and it’s quite strange for us. Every prisoner should eat these products. Packaged food delivery is also an unsettled issue at the prison and we frequently apply to the prison administration regarding the problem,” said Doctor Irakli Laliashvili, a member of the monitoring council.

The relatives of prisoners also protest the packaged food delivery regulation. They said that the prison administration should not ban parcel delivery because detainees have serious problems when it comes to proper nutrition. “If they are afraid that somebody will send the prisoners drugs along with food, the guards should inspect the food. They should resolve the problems not just burry them,” said prisoners’ relatives.

As for medicine, the members of the monitoring council expect that some pharmaceutical firms would be kind enough to supply prisons with medicines.  Some firms have already contacted the chairwoman of the monitoring council.

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

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