Imprisoned opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili has released a letter from Penitentiary Facility No. 6 in Rustavi, describing the situation inside. According to him, the atmosphere in the prison grew tense following the scandalous allegations by convict Giorgi Davitadze, who accused escort guards of sexual assault.
“First of all, I want to say that convict Davitadze is a courageous and brave young man, and all decent inmates stand in solidarity with him. The Penitentiary Department is lying and dissembling about the incident that took place on October 2. For several hours, the entire prison protested against the inhumane treatment of Davitadze.
It was a massive protest: the prison rattled and shook, and windows were shattered. A number of inmates inflicted injuries on themselves. The uproar and unrest were so intense that the prison administration began moving prisoners out. The removal was accompanied by commotion, and it remains unknown how the inmates were treated at the time. Notably, that night, prisoners were denied access to make calls to the Public Defender’s Office hotline. The situation in the prison remains tense. To defuse it, it is essential to establish where the inmates have been transferred, what condition they are currently in, and whether they are receiving adequate medical care.”
According to Elisashvili, defusing the tensions in the prison will be impossible without a prompt, comprehensive, and effective investigation. The opposition politician insists on the immediate resignation of the head of the Penitentiary Service, the director of Maximum-Security Facility No. 6, and all guards who participated “in this sadistic incident” in any form.
“All these individuals must face the full force of the law,” Elisashvili wrote from prison.
