PM Garibashvili offers message of hope to prisoners

Georgia’s Prime Minister has offered a message of hope to the prisoners inside Rustavi #16 penitentiary facility as he officially opened the refurbished prison.

Today the PM visited the prison and said: "I wish you to return to your families soon and never come back and we will make sure that you serve you sentence with dignity”.

In recent months the prison has undergone a complete refurbishment to ensure the facility met European and international standards. Today it was officially re-opened by Georgia’s Prime Minister.

PM Garibashvili inspected the modernised facility and spoke about the recent changes to the country’s penitentiary system.

Prime Minister Garibashvili visited the rehabilitated dining room in the #16 penitentiary facility in Rustavi. Photo by PM's office

"Over the years this exact prison was a place for torture, rape, murder and inhumane treatment. We have seen terrible videos that have since become known to the whole world. I want to announce on behalf of Georgia that this will never happen again. We ended inhumane treatment in prisons and succeeded [in implementing] almost revolutionary changes in the system,” he said.

Garibashvili also thanked the former Minister of Correction and Legal Assistance Sozar Subari and incumbent Minister Giorgi Mgebrishvili for the fundamental reforms.

"I want to also note that cases against the country in Strasbourg [Court of Human Rights] have decreased to a minimum. In addition another important problem has been solved and by the recommendation of the European Committee against Torture, the living area of a prisoner has increased from 2m² to 4m².

"Moreover, new food standards have been established for convicts and an upgraded central hospital with modern equipment has opened, which also includes residency for disabled people,” he said.

Garibashvili also talked about the Hepatitis C program and its positive outcome for Georgian prisoners.

"We began a Hepatitis C prevention, diagnosis and treatment program, in which the state is spending millions of Lari. For our efforts more than 10,000 prisoners have been examined and 263 have already been cured. This used to be an unsolved problem,” he said.

With the new renovations, the #16 penitentiary facility was now "fully in line” with international standards and was oriented on the re-socialisation and rehabilitation of prisoners.

PM Irakli Garibashvili and Minister of Correction Giorgi Mgebrishvili enjoying a table tennis game at the prison. Photo by PM's office

The 1048-person prison has undergone full rehabilitation, in which apartment buildings have been refurbished and social service offices have been installed on all floor wings. Along with the housing, a multi-functional construction centre has been built, which included a dining room, library, classrooms and computer rooms.

The prison now offered mini-football, volleyball and basketball open stadiums and a sports hall. Additionally, the facility now included manufacturing zone where the inmates can be employed and paid.

As part of the works, prison staff underwent training in the United States to learn more about providing security, risk assessment, classification of inmates, individual sentence planning and re-socialisation of prisoners.

Among the invited guests to today’s prison re-opening was special representative from the US involved in the training, and European Union (EU) Ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman.