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Monitoring Commissions Continue as Conditions Worsen in Georgian Prisons

August 4, 2008

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

On December 21 2007 working term of the public control commissions of the penitentiary departments has expired. They were selected for a period of two years and afterwards, beyond the initial period of time, commission members were to be re-selected. According to the distributed information activities of the commissions was than scheduled to cease henceforth. However, the commission is stilling monitoring Georgian prisons.

The Human Rights Center interviewed Manana Managadze, the chairperson of the Public Control Commission of the Kutaisi Prison # 2 regarding the current situation in Georgian penitentiary establishments.

-Since the commissions were established it has been widely discussed what activities they should have implemented. We have recently met the General Inspection of the Council of Justice. Maybe it sounds a bit strange but the General Inspection supervises the councils. Some amendments were carried out at the Ministry of Justice and based on them the coordination issues regarding councils were also altered.

The authority of public control commissions was not suspended. We still continue our activities. Currently we only discuss the statute and some other changes in terms of the commission. That means, we should settle the future framework of our activities, as whether we will be still subordinated to the Ministry of Justice or alternatively we will be turned into an independent organization that will fall under the umbrella of the Public Defender’s Office.

There is an idea that the commissions might become one part of the Public Defender’s Office. If it happens so the commissions will be equated with the public defender’s office and they will lose their independence. Although representatives of the public defender’s office take active part in problem resolution process in prison the monitoring commissions have different functions. The Public Defender is equated with governmental figure for prisoners; thus our relationship with convicted people is completely different.

 I cannot claim that the commissions work perfectly; they cannot work in fact because commissions are new bodies in our reality. The commission members were not selected based on professional experiences. However, the professionalism is the main issue of the selection. Here I want to state that it is very difficult job and requires serious degree of responsibility. Everybody should remember that we deal with very sensitive field-isolated penitentiary establishments and with the fate of people who are jailed. The commission members should be people who will be able to carry out ideal monitoring.

Nevertheless, many positive features of the public control groups and their activities must be also observed and praised. We have established new relationship with inmates. When any of them is taken to a new establishment where the monitoring groups do not work, the prisoners call us and state that the new prison is completely different from the previous one because monitoring group does not work there. Generally, in such prisons the situation is worse than in those where we work.

-Despite your explanation prisoners, their family members and attorneys often complain about living conditions in detention centers. Why are those people dissatisfied? What did you fail to do? What prevented you from working better?

-I do not want to exaggerate the situation but I want to point out that monitoring groups managed to restore the broken bridge between prisoners and prison administration. Since the famous prison riot in March of 2006 the situation has become extremely tense and complicated when inmates did not trust prison personnel whatsoever. Our visits to prisons, our relationship with inmates had a positive influence on them. The existence of the monitoring groups prevents certain people from doing bad things. Anyway, everybody is careful and this is most valuable. We assisted both sides-inmates and administration to reduce and eliminate the level of aggression. None of them denies this fact. Previously, they did not trust each other though I cannot insist that it is completely eradicated. However, the progress made is evident. I do not want to say that it is only on our benefit but time-by-time everything will be improved.

-If everything is so smooth why people continually complain about unbearable conditions in prisons? I would mention the exact example-inmate Ramaz Gogia has been in extremely poor conditions for several months already. His health is in danger, as he suffers from a seething wound which was inflicted by law enforcers during his detention. It is one of those facts that nobody has reacted to as yet.

-I should say that since the insurance company “Aldagi” started cooperation with penitentiary establishments the conditions of prisoners have actually worsened instead of having made any expected improvements. Not only prisoners complain about the situation but every unit that is connected with the system. The medicine supply is inadequate. Prisoners are not being allowed to take medical tests as were provided them previously. Nowadays, similar tests are carried out individually. So, there was no progress in the field. The system failed to succeed and situation is equal in every penitentiary establishment. Should prisoners apply to the human rights organizations in order to attract attention to their plight? Should each prisoner be under personal control? It must be necessary that I requested for assistance. The urgent situation must be immediately reacted. We are preparing a report and this problem will be discussed there. Medicine supply must be enough at prisons and relatives should not send drugs from outside. It means that people are not doomed to death.

-Besides that, there are some other problems as well. For example, cells are over-crowded at Kutaisi prison. 8-10 inmates live in the cells of 6 people. These people sleep in turn; new prisoners are placed in quarantines for one month because there are not enough places in the establishment.

-Repair-works are going on at the prison and it is not strange that similar problems continue to exist. Inmates are taken to other buildings or to other prisons.

-The problem was urgent before the repairs started.

-Of course there was. 2000 inmates serve their terms in the prison designed for 1,500-1,700 prisoners. Thus, the rights of those 300 prisoners are being violated… when an inmate does not have a personal bed in the establishment equipped to European standards. Under such circumstances his/her rights are being violated.

-There are some other problems which are actually connected with each other. Very often such a situation results in disaster; number of death among prisoners has increased. Don’t you think that the fact requires more attention?

-According to my information four such accidents have happened from the period between January and April of 2008. Three of these cases were suicide and the fourth was a result of worsened health conditions. Of course such numbers in a short period of time represents most negative statistics.

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