The visit was an opportunity for the CPT to assess the treatment of persons remanded in custody at Penitentiary Establishment No. 8 in Gldani (Tbilisi) in relation to the demonstrations which have been ongoing since 29 November 2024. Further, the CPT delegation met the leadership of the Special Investigation Service (SIS), with whom it discussed the progress of investigations into reports and allegations of police ill-treatment of persons detained during the demonstrations.
The delegation met with senior government officials including two Deputy Ministers of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili and Niko Tatulashvili, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, and two Deputy Ministers of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Irina Tsakadze and Tea Giorgadze. During the meeting with government officials, the delegation presented its preliminary observations from the periodic visit of 18 to 29 November 2024 as well as from this most recent visit. It is noteworthy that the meeting was also attended by Elene Ghudushauri, Deputy Public Defender (Ombudsperson).
The CPT was represented by Therese Rytter, 2nd Vice-President of the CPT, and Alexander Minchev. They were supported by Borys Wόdz, Head of Division, and Elvin Aliyev of the CPT Secretariat.
