National Preventive Mechanism Even the 2010 Parliamentary Report of Public Defender assessed a situation in Gldani N8 Prison as inhuman and degrading treatment. The report mentioned that inmates were often sent to quarantine and this was used as a punishment measure in Gldani prison. At the same time, this method of punishment is not written in any of the legislative act and thus is illegal. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) 2010 report says that prisoners placed in establishment N8 in Gldani and medical establishment for defendants and convicts N18 do not confirm ill-treatment, as opposed to inmates in other establishments who talk about ill-treatment exercised against them. At the Gldani establishment inmates were beaten up in the “kartzer” area, the showers for knocking on cell doors, talking loudly or attempting to communicate with prisoners from other cells. They also mentioned an uncommon silence reigned in the prisoner accommodation blocks. The European Committee for Prevention of Torture (CPT) 2010 report also mentions that “practically no allegations of ill-treatment by staff were received during the visit to Prison No. 8 in Gldani. However, a number of inmates subsequently met by the delegation at other establishments alleged that they had been physically ill-treated by staff whilst being held at the Gldani establishment in the recent past, in particular in the “kartzer” area, the showers and upon reception. The ill-treatment alleged (consisting of punches, kicks and truncheon blows) was reportedly triggered by violations such as knocking on cell doors, talking loudly or attempting to communicate with prisoners from other cells. The delegation noted for itself that an uncommon silence reigned in the prisoner accommodation blocks at Gldani”. Case of Vladimer I. On August 1st, 2012 Public Defender was addressed with N1374-12 statement by a lawyer defending interests of convict Vladimir I. who was kept in establishment N8. The statement mentioned that the convict had Tuberculosis and, despite this, for fourteen days he was kept in a box in the basement of the penitentiary establishment No 8. On August 2nd, 2012, representatives of Public Defender met and interviewed convict Vladimir I. According to him, around two weeks before that he had a verbal conflict with his cellmate for which a prison personnel of N8 establishment sent him to so-called box for two weeks. There the convict did not have either bed, or a mattress and a blanket and was sleeping on a floor. As the convict said on the course of this period he was not visited by a doctor. Based on the above, on August 7th, 2012 Public Defender appealed to the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia with a recommendation to start an investigation. With regards to the above recommendation on November 2nd, 2012 Public Defender’s Office received the answer N13/45642 which stated that the investigation was launched into the case of Vladimir I. on October 26th, 2012, which once again points to superficial attitude of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office towards the investigation of facts of ill-treatment. According to the same response, Tbilisi Gldani-Nazaladevi District Prosecutor’s Office conducts investigation into the criminal case N001261012801 pursuant to the first paragraph of the article 1443 of the Penal Code of Georgia. Cases of Pavle B., Davit T., Guram M. and Guram T. On August 2nd, 2012 workers of the Special Preventive Group of the Prevention and Monitoring Department of the Office of Public Defender of Georgia met and interviewed convict Pavle B. who was kept in establishment N8. According to the convict, on July 15th, 2012, one of the officers of the establishment was on leave and substituted by Nika Tolordava. According to the inmate, at around 8.30pm together with his two cellmates he was smoking a cigarette (smoking in a cell was prohibited by the administration). According to convict because of smoking, officer Nika Tolordava verbally abused inmates, brought them out of the toilet, as a punishment he made them stand in two rows and kept them in this position for almost two and a half hours. According to convict Pavle B. the next day, when inmates were taken from a cell to a yard to walk he was walking at a quick pace and not running (as the convict said during the exercise they were compelled to run) because of a leg pain. www.ombudsman.ge NPM Report