Monitoring the accused on hunger strike at Gldani Penitentiary Establishment #8

On April 17, 2013 Special Preventive Group under Public Defender of Georgia carried out ad hoc monitoring at the Penitentiary Establishment #8 within the framework of National Preventive Mechanism. 75 life sentenced inmates being on hunger strike were visited. The accused did not complain on their treatment at the Establishment #8. They objected the Law on Amnesty of December 28, 2012 as it alleviated the sentence of all accused except the life sentenced inmates.

The main concern of life sentenced inmates was the lack of concrete information on application of the Law on Amnesty to them. They had to appear before the court in order to formally discuss the allevation of ¼ of their sentence, without any relevant outcome.

Furthermore, several inmates also demand the reexamination of their cases. Part of the accused mentioned that their demands have been transmitted via media incorrectly as issues of visits and parcels are currently not acute.

The accused request the meeting with the Minister of Justice of Georgia and the Chairman of the Committee of Human Rights Protection and Civil Integration under the Parliament of Georgia.

***

On November 28, 2012 Office of Public Defender of Georgia addressed the Parliament of Georgia with the observations on the draft law on Amnesty. The Office of Public Defender requested to specify whether Article 6, according to which the sentence should be alleviated for grave and particularly grave offences, applied to life sentenced inmates and in which manner. Public Defender also requested the amendments to the draft law in order to prevent unequal treatment of the accused. Unfortunately, recommendations of Public Defender have not been reflected in Law of Amnesty. Life sentenced inmates are the only category who did not benefit from humane act of Amnesty. 

www.ombudsman.ge