Minority accuses penitentiary system of bad management

During the governments meeting with the parliamentarian minority at the parliament on November 19, the candidate of the Minister of Correction and Legal Assistance, Sozar Subari was blamed for the bad management in the penitentiary system.

The MP Akaki Minashvili, the United National Movement member, stated that the prisons of Georgia are still controlling by the criminal authorities, like during the Soviet Era. Minashvili also reminded him of the dead prisoners case and accused him for hiding the truth about inmate Levan Kortava.

"Nowadays, the criminal authorities are ruling the prisons. I want to ask you, do you have any strategy on how to eliminate this problem and how manage to the system? asked Akaki Minashvili to the Minister of Correction and Legal Assistance, Sozar Subari.

The inmate Levan Kortava died of brain swelling on May 23, 2013 in the hospital. According to the investigative, Levan Kortava was transferred from Rustavi Prison #6 to Geguti prison in West Georgia, on May 12. Kortava had a conflict with the inspector of security department of the jail, Ilia Shanshashvili about the psychotropic medications. The latter forced several prisoners to beat Kortava. During the ten minutes, seven inmates were beating Levan Kortava, who lost consciousness. After that he was taken to hospital in the presence of coma.

In summer of 2013, all seven inmates were judged and sentenced an additional ten years. As for Ilia Shanshashvili and the other employees of Geguti prison who were connected to Kortavas case, they remain imprisoned.

Sozar Subari, the candidate for the Minister of Correction and Legal Assistance, affirmed that all guilty persons, who were linked to Levan Kortavas case, are jailed.

"When you are talking about hiding the truth of the prisoners death, it is not appropriate for me. After that tragedy, the press center of the Ministry of Correction and Legal Assistance told wrong information about Levan Kortavas death. According to them, he fell down the stairs. We erased this statement after the five minutes from our web-page. The source of Kortavas cases wrong version was Malkhaz Sinauridze, head of penitentiary department. Sinauridze fled Georgia, but he is still wanted for this charge. said Sozar Subari.

During the meeting, Sozar Subari stated that the ministry began Hepatitis C treatment program in the penitentiary system. According to him, this program will be free.

"Its known that more than 50% of inmates in Georgian prisons are chronic hepatitis virus carriers. We are ready to begin this program. Although this medicine is very expensive in Georgia, we had negotiations with the medical company. Sozar Subari said.

The new government frequently states that the Minister of Correction and Legal Assistance got the most awful legacy from the previous government, which is associated with the notorious prison abuse scandal, broadcasted by oppositional Georgian TV Channels on September 18, 2012. The video footages showed how the prison superintendents were torturing, raping and sodomizing prisoners with broom and batons. Among those prisoners were underage inmate and mentally disabled person.