Monitoring Group Demands Investigation of Kutaisi Prison Break

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

On August 11 2008, when Russian aircraft were bombing the Khoni military battalion, 153 prisoners managed to escape from the Khoni Penitentiary Establishment # 8. However, shortly 90 out of the total number were quickly caught but the rest are still fugitives.  Some of the prisoners who were placed in Kutaisi Penitentiary Establishment # 2 after their capture went on hunger strike for the next four days. The protest started following a visit by the chairperson of the Public Monitoring Group to the prison.

Manana Managadze, chairperson of the Public Monitoring Group for Kutaisi Penitentiary Establishment # 2 told how “ten prisoners were hunger striking and based their personal statements, the inmates decided to use such extreme form of protest after they could not prove their innocence. These people do not deny that they had actually escaped from the prison on August 11 but they want to persuade the prison’s administration that they were not the organizers of the prison break. They also deny the more serious accusation that they were involved in the beating of prison guards or other staff. There is also the charge that the jaw of one staff member, a claim they flatly deny. They claim, “Why should they need to beat anyone when nobody even put up any resistance their escape. In fact they claim that the door was wide open when they fled the prison?”

Nika Gvaramia, former Minister of Justice stated that the punishment for those inmates during the Augusts’ war operation who escaped and who would not freely turn themselves will be facing a harsh punishment when caught. Soon it was reported that some of the escapees had voluntarily turned themselves at a police station.

“Regional Prosecutor’s Office of the Western Georgia has list of 26 people who organized the prison break. Hunger-strikers were also included on the list, and this is in spite of the fact that they adamantly maintained all along that there were not the ringleaders or anyway involved. There is some merit to their argument. as one of them had only 16 days left before his scheduled release from prison. In fact, he claims that he did not escape. He also told me that was actually wounded during a shooting inside the establishment. The prisoners told me that officials compelled under duress to say how he knew all about the prison break and in return for his testimony the charges he faced would be reduced. Now, this boy is worried, and tells how he can’t blame innocent people. He would rather keep silent than to implement others in the prison break,” said Manana Managadze.

Officials from the Regional Prosecutor of the Western Georgia deny the existence of the list of 26 organizers of the prison break. Prosecutor Davit Porchkhidze states that the list makes no difference in this case. Simply, there are some prisoners who have been accessed of having organized the prison break.

Public Monitoring Group of the Kutaisi Penitentiary Establishment # 2 demands an investigation into the case. Manana Managadze thinks that there are many questionable circumstances regarding the facts to the case. It is clear that there are many unanswered questions. Consequently a special commission should be set up to fully investigate the details in the nearest future.