Situation at Penitentiary Establishments
The convict noted that around 4-5 times during night time he was transferred to N18 medical establishment where a
meeting was arranged with inmates Mamuka A. and Shota S. According to Malkhaz A., during this meeting Shota S.
was stressing that he took part in the terrorist acts. The convict noted that he met these persons in the beginning of
August, 2010 and thus he could not have taken part in the terrorist acts in 2008-2009.
On June 22nd, 2011 during the meeting of the convict with representatives of Public Defender two small scars were
noted in the forehead area, as well as two scars - on a right calf and two scars on his hands that, as later was revealed,
was a result of self-injury.
The next day the representative of Public Defender again visited convict Malkhaz A. who stated that he no longer
wanted further reaction to be followed to his explanatory notes and noted that he was afraid of requital. He also noted
that after the visit of Public Defender representatives his rights have not been violated. After the above convict Malkhaz
A. was visited several times by representatives of Public Defender though he did not want to make his explanations
public and send them to law enforcement agencies.
On September 26th, 2012, following to the request of Malkhaz A.’s lawyer the convict was again visited by representatives
of Public Defender. Malkhaz A. stated that he refused to get response to his statements of June 22nd, 2011 because on
the same day he was taken to the quarantine of the establishment where he saw director of the establishment Alexander
Mukhadze, head of security department Victor Kacheishvili and personnel of the same establishment Besik Meladze.
They severely beat him up and warned him that if he did not refuse his statements and say that he lied they would
arrest his family members and his lawyer and rape them in front of him. According to the convict, before every visit of
representatives of Public Defender, the Red Cross, the lawyer, a priest and family members he was met by personnel
of the establishment Oleg Patsatsia or Victor Kacheishvili and warned that if he did not obey their demands and say
something he would be raped.
According to Malkhaz A., several days later he was approached by investigator Lasha Kolbaia who demanded signing of
the testimony from him which, as the convict said, he refused to do. After this Alexander Mukhadze entered the room,
hit him with a portable transmitter in his nose and told him to obey their demands. As the convict said, he again refused
to sign the testimony. He noted that Lasha Kolbaia called Alexander Mukhadze and Victor Kacheishvili whom he told
the inmate did not intend to sign. After this, according to the convict, three times he was taken down to a quarantine
where he was severely dealt with and was forced to obey their demands.
The convict mentioned that he was frequently transferred to N18 medical establishement where he met with Gaga
Mkurnalidze, Megis Kardava and some Koba. According to him, he was cross examined with someone called Mamuka
A. whom he had just seen once before. The prison personnel demanded for the convicts to confess in committing
of crimes unknown to them. According to the convict, Lasha Kolbaia, Gaga Mkurnalidze, Megis Kardava and Koba
severely beat him up and demanded to point to some Lasha A. and Zviad A. whom he did not even know. According
to him, when he denied any kind of contact to those people Megis Kardava took a gun, put it to his forehead and
threatened to kill him. As the prisoner said M. Kardava was saying to him that neither Public Defender nor his lawyer
NPM Report
2012
The convict noted that his lawyer came to him and he told him everything. After the lawyer left he was taken down to
Victor Kacheishvili’s office where the director of the establishment Alexander Mukhadze also came and told him that
3200 people worked in the system and he and his lawyer could not go against them. Also, as the convict said, Mukhadze
told him ”every week 4-5 people die in a prison, some themselves and some with our help”. As the convict said, he
refused to repudiate his lawyer after which Mukhadze telephoned Megis Kardava and told him that the convict was
refusing to comply with their demand. After the phone call, as the convict stated, Alexander Mukhadze told him that
if he consented to this demand and confessed the crime that he had not committed, a lawyer would have been brought
to him and minimum sentence given, while in case of refusal they would simply kill him. The convict said that he was
returned to his cell where he was visited by Victor Kacheishvili who explained that if he refused their demand they
would let the entire prison think as if he was raped. Kacheishvili gave him time till morning to think it over. According
to the convict, next morning he was beaten up in a shower room and he was forced to write statement towards
repudiation of his lawyer.