Press-Conference about Inhuman Treatment

Maka Shamugia

On December 23, Human Rights Center held press-conference about inhuman treatment of the accused Giorgi Okropiridze in the press-club of Prime-Time. 

According to the information spread by Human Rights Center, on September 22, 2014 Giorgi Okropiridze was removed from the Gldani prison # 8 into Batumi Prison # 3, where he was physically and verbally assaulted. The accused person blames concrete employee of the prison # 3, who intimidated him and threatened with punishment for hunger-strike.

“Since September 22, Giorgi Okropiridze has been subject of inhuman and degrading treatment in a single cell though the estimated limit for the placement of prisoners in the isolation cell is 24 hours; he does not have normal bed, linen, ventilation, water supply and door in the toilet,” lawyer of Human Rights Center Tamar Avaliani said.

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At the press-conference, the representatives of the Center said that on September 25, Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia launched investigation into the fact of ill-treatment against Giorgi Okropiridze, however, the accused person has not received any information about the investigation results so far.

“Based on the Public Defender’s letter about alleged inhuman and degrading treatment of Giorgi Okropiridze, on October 1 prosecutor’s office started investigation which lasted two weeks. The documentation shows that the prosecutor’s office studied quite a large-volumed case about the inhuman treatment of Orkopidze within two weeks,” said Tamar Avaliani, lawyer of Human Rights Center.

As the accused person told representative of the Center, he had petitioned to the administration of the Batumi prison # 3 for immediate medical assistance due to his grave health conditions but in vain.

“For the prevention of future incidents, I petition to the penitentiary department and prosecutor’s office to stop working with old methods. Representative of the Public Defender gave me a document, where Giorgi Okropiridze appeals to Eka Beselia, chairwoman of the Human Rights Committee at the Parliament of Georgia, and states that he had exposed several senior officials at the trial and that he was intimidated before detention too,” mother of Okropiridze Tsira Goderdzishvili said the press-conference.

Monitoring by the group of National Preventive Mechanism under the auspice of the Public Defender’s Office in the prison # 3 observed problems in medical assistance, ventilation and water supply. 

“Human Rights Center appeals to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office to timely and effectively investigate the facts of inhuman treatment against Giorgi Okropiridze in the prisons # 8 and # 3. The organization also appeals to the Ministry of Corrections to take adequate measures to eradicate aforementioned problems in the Batumi prison #3,” Tamar Lukava, lawyer of Human Rights Center, said. 

During the press-conference the lawyer appealed to the chairperson of the Committee of Human Rights and Civil Integrity at the Parliament of Georgia to conduct effective parliamentary control over the Ministry of Corrections and Chief Prosecutor’s Office to ensure defense of the accused Giorgi Okropiridze’s rights.