Georgian prison torture: Citizens protest in thousands (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

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Published time: September 19, 2012 06:30
Edited time: September 24, 2012 01:43

Protesters hold signs during a rally to demonstrate against the government in Tbilisi September 19, 2012.(Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili).Video courtesy of Youtube.com

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Conflict, Georgia, Human rights, Opposition, Protest, Saakashvili, Scandal

Thousands of protesters are taking to the streets in several Georgian cities since Tuesday after national TV channels broadcast video evidence of torture and rape in a Tbilisi prison. The minister of execution of sentences has resigned as a result.

Masses of Georgians joined spontaneous rallies in Tbilisi, Batumi, Poti, Gori and other cities after Maestro TV and TV-9 exposed that guards in the Gldan detention facility in the country’s capital beat prisoners and raped them with rubber truncheons.

Shocked by the terror and violence on TV screens, citizens are calling for justice and promise to continue their protests if no action taken.

Hundreds of protesters shut down traffic in central Tbilisi as they marched to the Interior Ministry building.

A man shouts into a megaphone during a protest rally against torture in prisons as demonstrators block one of the capital's main streets in Tbilisi on September 19, 2012. (AFP Photo/Vano Shlamov)

Protesters demanded the Minister of Execution of Sentences and Corrections Khatuna Kalmakhelidze be fired. She had been fiercely criticized for quite some time already, and on Wednesday morning the minister submitted her resignation.

“Being a minister I tried to make human rights secure, but it seems my efforts were insufficient,” the former minister stated.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was forced to make a special statement on Tuesday night.

“What happened in Gldan Prison is an outrageous act targeting human dignity and rights. Those who organized, implemented and allowed it to happen deserve the strictest punishment and they will spend many years in prison,” Saakashvili promised.

The president also vowed to completely reorganize the penitentiary system in the country. First “it is necessary to suspend current prison workers replacing them with patrol police,” he said.

“It is not a police function, but until prison staff is renewed and new workers hired, police officers will temporarily perform their duties,” Saakashvili was quoted as saying at the meeting with the prime minister, justice minister and prosecutor general.

Women cry as they hold the picture of a relative during a protest rally against torture in prisons as demonstrators block one of the capital's main streets in Tbilisi on September 19, 2012. (AFP Photo/Vano Shlamov)

An investigation was initiated and 15 guards suspected of torture have been detained. These include the director of the Gldan prison, David Chkadua, and guard Datu Akobia, who actually made the video of suspects abusing prisoners. Akobia was arrested trying to cross the Armenian-Georgian border at the Sadahlo checkpoint.

Reports say the suspects claim that the videos were staged by provocateurs paid to discredit the authorities ahead of the elections.

The Prosecutor General of Georgia Murtaz Zodelava has stated at a special media briefing dedicated to the scandalous case that the videos of torture in prison were passed to TV channels by members of the opposition.

He specified that it was Tamaz Tamazishvili, a representative of the Georgian Dream opposition coalition led by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the opponent and main political rival for the upcoming presidential election of the ruling President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Ivanishvili has already called the whole case a provocation against him two weeks ahead of the presidential election.

The Ministry of Interior claimed that opposition activist Tamazishvili was the person who “made a proposal to the employees of the detention facility to stage and make video records of inhumane treatment of the suspects in exchange for significant compensation.”

The Ministry of Interior has published certain fragments of the video evidence from Gldan prison on its website with comments that most of the material is not allowed to be played in public.

The video evidence of prison torture was leaked to TV channels by former jailer Vladimir Bedukadze, who is currently on the wanted list. In an interview to TV-9 he claimed that torture of the suspects had been ordered by Minister of the Interior Bacho Akhalaya and that Kalmakhelidze had been aware of acts of torture in various Georgian prisons.

Protesters sit with signs during a rally to demonstrate against the government in Tbilisi September 19, 2012. (Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili)

A woman reacts during a demonstration against the government in Tbilisi September 19, 2012. (Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili)

Hundreds of protesters blocked a street in the centre of the Georgian capital and demonstrated against the government after Maestro TV station released video footage depicting inhumane treatment of prisoners on Tuesday, according to local media. (Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili)

Protesters sit with signs during a rally to demonstrate against the government in Tbilisi September 19, 2012. (Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili)

Comments (38)

No Kikes (unregistered) 26.09.2012 03:47

Anti Religious wrote in #5
Before the South Ossetia War, Georgian soldiers were being trained by Israeli's. It's not a surprise that the same tactics spread to the prison system.Just treat them like Palestinians tactics.
You may be suprised to learn that American police are routinely trained by the ADL and other Jew organizations. Some American police are flown to Israel for special training. Ever wonder the reason that American police are universally getting over aggressive with the public? One un-armed citizen is murdered every 6 weeks by Las Vegas Metro Police alone. Goggle the articles written by firemen who refuse to call local police for assistance.
Surel y, Christian Zionist should be targets... most being the corrupted Christian leadership. All else are just followers. However, the fundamental root of the problem in America is the plain every day common American who calls himself a Jew. Fix that and watch as the other problems vanish.

Undo

Anti Zionist 24.09.2012 03:12

The Georgian regime is the kind of friends the US regime supports actively.
Solidar ity between torturing regimes is only logical.
Satan bless Georgia and the USA.

Undo

Jenkins (unregistered) 23.09.2012 12:19

Observer (unregistered) wrote in #12

sierranevada25 wrote in #2
Anti Religious wrote in #20
@ edu ardo camilo , I live in Colorado (USA) Russian's running a liquor store here in town told me the Georgians are Christian which explained an article I read from Pravda that Israeli's were training them. I personally despise Christians because they think they are superior. The West's foreign policy in USA, France, Germany and the UK have coups controlling it. Even the President of the USA has no total control over it. But if you have a far right President like Bush it is overkill. It is the Christians that want Israel to control ALL of Jerusalem. Spreading democracy and freedom is just a farce to hide the real reason which is control. Muslim's want to lash out at entire countries but it is the Christians that should be targeted. This will change foreign policy, not destroying building's and suicide mission's to innocents like me. Muslim's allow them to hijack our military when they attack the country. Surgical attacks on large Christian groups and Christian leaders will bring peace. As far as idiot Bush who was the easiest puppet for these Christian neocon extremist's to manipulate is probably drinking himself to death now that he has time to search the internet to see just how much of an idiot he is. If he was in my living room it would give me great pleasure to do the true creator's work and cut him up in little pieces and flush his entire body down the toilet. I can go on and on with my hate for all religions that have nothing to do with the true creator but I am afraid some government homeland security punk will label or arrest me as a national security threat. Another EVIL Christian coup in my government. Why is the RUSSIAN living in America? Why isn't he in Moscow? Hmmn....
Be cause its a lot better in America than Russia (even in financial crysis). Pretty obvious! Yeah go back to Russia where you belong to! We don't need your kind here!

Undo

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