NGOs Demand Dismissal of Bacho Akhalaia, the Head of the Penitentiary Department

NGOs Demand Dismissal of Bacho Akhalaia, the Head of the Penitentiary Department

Tbilisi, 24.03.06, ‘Media News’ – The NGOs defending Human Rights demand the dismissal of Bacho Akhalaia, the Head of the Penitentiary Department.

The President of the ‘Organization for the Defense of Prisoners and Human Rights’, George Laghidze, stated at a press-conference held today, that Special Forces entered Jail #1 yesterday and beat the inmates. Moreover, they took fifty prisoners with them to an unidentified location. “We found out, they were transferred to the Kutaisi jail by train. Most of them are badly hurt. We have information that Bacha Akhalaia has beat up a prisoner, Elguja Kikacheishvili, the other day. Kikacheishvili’s medical condition is still unstable. The maltreatment and torture of prisoners is almost a daily occurrence in the jails”, declared Laghidze.

George Tevzadze, the President of ‘Human Rights and Social Assistance of Prisoners’, says that transferring inmates to the Kutaisi jail, late at night, had a “hidden agenda”.

According to the Human Rights NGOs, robberies also take place in the prisons. According to Laghidze, the Special Forces raided the Rustavi Jail and took a gold chain and cross from prisoner Temur Bichashvili.

On the 28th of March, the Human Rights NGOs will hold a protest against torture in prisons in front of the Ministry of Justice. One of the demands will be the dismissal of Bacho Akhalaia.