04 May 2015, 19:08
Georgia adopts laws to reform penitentiary system
The Georgian Parliament has approved a number of bills aimed to reform, starting July 1, the country's criminal-correction system. The package of documents has been sent to the president for signing.
According to the novelties, the Department of Corrections should be abolished, while the Ministry will be represented by two services – the civil and special ones. The reform also provides for the gradual decentralization of prisons in Georgia, and a change in their internal structure and management system.
The bills offer to change the custody conditions of inmates. Thus, the stay in a solitary cell will be reduced from 20 to 14 days. The amendments also provide for reduction of terms for consideration of complaints.
Employees of the Office of the Public Defender (Ombudsperson) and of the group of the national prevention mechanism will have the right to take photos at penal institutions, in order to ensure better protection of prisoners' rights.
The situation in Georgian prisons became particularly topical after the scandal in 2012: on September 18, 2012, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported facts of prisoners' torture in Gldani Prison; the respective videos were posted and caused mass protests. As a result, on September 20, the Georgian Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaya resigned.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in June 2014, Tbilisi hosted a conference dedicated to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, where lawyers and politicians discussed measures to prevent torture in places of detention.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
