Convicted Giorgi Marsagishvili Urges for Help

Natia Gogolashvili

On March 23, 2015 convicted Giorgi Marsagishvili from Batumi prison # 3 sent letter to Human Rights Center. The prisoner wrote about extremely unbearable conditions in the penitentiary establishment. According to his letter, life-threatening conditions are purposefully created in the punishment rooms. Giorgi Marsagishvili names concrete people and requests their punishment because they inhumanly treat prisoners.

“I would like to inform you about life-threatening situation in the isolation punishment cells in Batumi prison # 3. We are punished for writing complaints. They will place me in the punishment cell because I write this letter to you. There are life-threatening conditions in the punishment cell. We are often placed in those cells; similar facts happen for past several months. They do not allow us to call or meet relatives; we cannot send letters because they are afraid we will inform people outside what prison director Kakhaber Gvelesiani, head of security unit Spartaki, chief of the regime Elizbari and their criminal team do in the facility.  We have informed relevant institutions about those facts but aforementioned people still continue illegal activities,” the letter reads.

A friend of the convicted person Nino Beguchashvili said the director of Prison # 3 Kakhaber Gvelesiani purposefully damages health of Giorgi Marsagishvili. It is noteworthy that Giorgi Marsagishvili has been sick with tuberculosis twice. Currently he is involved in the interpherone program and takes medical treatment for Hepatitis C. 

According to Nino Beguchashvili, Giorgi Marsagishvili was moved from prison # 15 into prison # 3 on January 13, 2015.

“After I inquired about the reason of his removal, they told me it was done because of his security. However, Giorgi has been in degrading conditions since his move into Batumi Prison # 3. Situation in the prison seriously damages his health. Person involved in the interpherone program needs special nutrition. In fact, prisoners cannot eat food in that prison. Even ordinary cells are equal to the punishment rooms; as for the punishment room itself, it is real hell. It is three square meter room with a very little window that does not have a handle. The toilet is inside the punishment room and water does not run at all. Even healthy person might get sick there. Giorgi is almost systematically placed in the punishment cell. He is not provided with medicines timely; the personnel claims Tamta Demurishvili (head of medical unit) does not give them medicines; I personally met Tamta Demurishvili and she denied this information,” Nino Beguchashvili said.

It is noteworthy that several prisoners complain about conditions in the prison # 3. Several weeks ago, humanrights.ge wrote about one letter sent to the Human Rights Center, where inmates of the prison # 3 complained about the conditions in the facility. Inattention from the medical personnel, lack of medicines, poisoning food, ventilation and water supply problems, aggressive and provocative attitude of prison personnel to inmates – it is incomplete list of the problems the prisoners complained about.