Prisoners on Ombudsmen’s former employees’ prison abuse involvement

The former employees of the Public Defenders office, Natia Imnadze and Otar Kvachadze may have been involved in the prison abuse.

The political prisoner, Vakhtang Maisaia claims that these former employees, who were dismissed two days before, may have not only been accomplices in crime, but important figures of the crime.

According to Levan Gogichaishvili, who is a former political prisoner, Natia Imnadze and her deputy Otar Kvachadze have always been uninterested toward the prisoners and "they used to hide the prisoners letters or give them to Senior Officials of the Penitentiary Department.

"I was there, in prison, when the director of the jail, Lasha Bregvadze, abused and beat the prisoner and the prisoner lodged a complaint against the jail administration. Later, Natia Imnadzes deputy, Otar Kvachadze, was instructed by Mrs. Imnadze to force that prisoner to drop the case under threat of killing him. said Levan Gogichaishvili.

The head of National Preventive Mechanism at the Public Defenders Office, Natia Imnadze who led prisons monitoring, and her deputy Otar Kvachadze were dismissed from the office for failure to comply with obligations and uncongenial relationships with the other employees, according to Ucha Nanuashvili during a press conference on November 11.

"Before, they had multiple verbal warning about their carelessness and ignorance of Public Defenders instructions It wasnt easy for me to relieve them, but their activity was harmful for the Public Defenders office. stated Ucha Nanuashvili.

Natia Imnadze denied the charges and accuses the Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili of political persecution. She is planning to lodge a complaint against the Public Defender, for alleged violation of human rights.

"We have worked here for more than seven years and we hadnt any problem with the previous ombudsmen or other employees, said Natia Imnadze. "Mr. Nanuashvilis charges are ungrounded.

The former employee of the Public Defender office claims that the major reason of her dismissal was her critical interview with the Georgian analytic magazine "Liberal, that was published ten days before. In that interview, Imnadze criticized the penitentiary system and the Minister of Correction and Legal Assistance Sozar Subari. She said, that the so called criminal authorities "are controlling the prisons.

Imnadzes interview was a response to Subaris critical appraisals about the Public Defenders report concerning the inmates who have tuberculosis and called it unprofessional. This report was conducted by Natia Imnadze.

The Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili responded to Natia Imnadzes charges, that she was a victim of political persecution, "is absurd and brazen.