23 January 2020, 13:19
Georgian Ombudsperson claims harassment among prisoners
In Georgia, there is an informal hierarchy among prisoners in penal colonies, and because of the above fact the prisoners who are not "crime bosses" are forced to endure oppression, claims Ombudsperson Nino Lomdjariya. "Crime bosses" take money from other prisoners and forbid them to complain about problems in a prison, explain activists of NGOs.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in May 2019, the Council of Europe (CE) Committee Against Torture called on the Georgian authorities to solve the problem of violence among prisoners.
"In prisons, it has been revealed that prisoners are constrained and harassed to take part in the gathering of the so-called 'common fund'," said Ombudsperson Nino Lomdjariya as quoted by the "Netgazeti.ge".
The use of "crime underbosses" is one of the most serious violations of the prisoners' rights, since "criminal bosses" set up their informal ruling laws to which other prisoners must obey, explains Aleko Tskvitishvili, the head of the NGO "Human Rights Centre".
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 23, 2020 at 08:10 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Beslan Kmuzov, Galina Gotua Source: CK correspondents
