Disabled prisoner Solomon Sekhniashvili, who cannot move independently and is wheelchair user, states that his life is in danger in the penitentiary establishment.
According to his statement, the influential prisoners tried to kill him and the prison administration members supported them.
On July 24, convicted Solomon Sekhniashvili was taken from prison # 18 to the medical unit of the prison # 17. In the evening on July 26, when according to the prison regulations all inmates shall be in their cells, two inmates of neighboring prison facility came to the medical unit and forced Sekhniashvili to return to his cell, where they were going to kill him. Although Sekhniashvili had already warned the prison deputy director to protect him, neither security nor medical unit officers appeared in the medical unit during the incident; Solomon Sekhniashvili spent one hour alone together with the harassers.
As the prisoner claims, the video cameras saved his life, because the incident was happening just in front of the cameras and the harassers could not manage to force him go into the cell.
The prisoner states that certain group of prisoners decided to kill him after the
TV-Company Rustavi 2 prepared reportage about his problems as a disabled person in its weekly program P.S Kurieri. Sekhniashvili noted that the harassers told him that informing the society about the problems in the penitentiary establishment contradicts the informal order agreed between the influential prisoners and the prison administration. Sekhniashvili added that his liquidation was planned and he was taken to the prison # 17 for that purpose, where the prisoners assaulted him but the prison administration did not prevent the incident.
After the incident, Solomon Sekhniashvili was taken back to the prison # 18, where he complained about the living conditions. Having returned there, the senior officials of the prison administration were fired and the prisoner believes it is connected with his incident.
Human Rights Center calls on:
The Ministry of Corrections to take preventive measures to ensure safety of the convicted Solomon Sekhniashvili; to carry out timely and effective investigation into the incident.
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office to immediately open investigation into the fact of violence against Solomon Sekhniashvil and threat to his life.
Human Rights Center