HRW: Prison Abuses Rife in Georgia

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report ?Undue Punishment: Abuses against Prisoners in Georgia,? issued on September 14, that thousands of prisoners in Georgia live in inhuman and degrading conditions and many are subjected to severe beatings and other ill-treatment.

?The Georgian government portrays itself as fully committed to human rights and has repeatedly promised to address the ghastly conditions in its prison system. But instead of fulfilling these promises, the authorities have taken deliberate steps to restrict fundamental rights, including the rights of those in detention,? Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said.

HRW also recollected the March 27 incident in prison number five in Tbilisi and said that the Georgian government did not open an investigation into the actions of law enforcement agencies until three months after the incident, following pressure to do so.

According to the HRW report, the Georgian government has failed to provide conditions necessary for rehabilitation of prisoners as required by international standards.

?The European Union and other donors are providing the Georgian government with substantial financing to build new prisons,? Cartner said. ?But simply giving money and building new prisons is not going to end abuses against prisoners. The government must change its approach to the treatment of prisoners and resolve fundamental problems in the prison system.? 

Human Rights Watch called on the Georgian government to take immediate steps to protect the rights of prisoners by allowing for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into the events of March 27 prison riot. ?In general, the authorities should investigate all allegations of abuse, and announce at the highest levels of government a policy of zero tolerance for abuses perpetrated by law enforcement agents,? the HRW said. 

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