Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

On September 28, Human Rights Center petitioned the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia, Murtaz Zodelava, and Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia, Giorgi Tugushi. Human Rights Center informed Zodelava and Tugushi that the Center protects the rights of the convicted people who were tortured and inhumanly treated in the penitentiary institution.

Below is a round-up of international reactions to videos showing beating and rape of inmates in Gldani prison No.8 in Tbilisi suburb.

(Berlin) – Video footage broadcast on Georgian television on September 18, 2012, depicts sexual and other abuse of inmates in a notorious prison in Georgia, which should be subject to criminal investigation, Human Rights Watch said today. The government of Georgia should conduct a prompt, thorough, and independent investigation into the abuse, hold those found responsible accountable, and ensure the victims a remedy.

UNICEF strongly condemns the child rights’ violations in the penitentiary system as documented and broadcasted in recent news. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child „No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment“. (Article 37, CRC). The same rights have been reiterated in other international and regional treaties that have been signed and ratified by Georgia.

On September 7, nongovernmental organizations held protest rally in the yard of the Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University. They requested to liberate TSU from political oppression. NGO representatives stated that qualified professors are fired from the university on political grounds and it seriously damages the reputation of the state university.