Saba Skhvitaridze Reports Tensions, Beatings and Hunger Strikes at Prison No. 6
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Saba Skhvitaridze, a member of the Coalition for Change serving a prison sentence, has reported tensions and unrest at Rustavi Penitentiary No. 6, alleging that prisoners have been beaten, transferred to other facilities or de-escalation rooms, and gone on hunger strike.
In a letter sent from prison and shared on social media, Skhvitaridze said he heard a prisoner being beaten near his cell and claimed that another prisoner had slit his wrists. He also said some prisoners had been transferred to another prison, while others were moved to de-escalation rooms and their whereabouts were unknown.
Skhvitaridze said prisoners on hunger strike were demanding the immediate dismissal of prison staff members shown in widely circulated footage and that the Public Defender visit each prisoner taking part in the hunger strike.
"We want this story to go public and for people to stand by us," Skhvitaridze wrote.
The Special Penitentiary Service categorically denied Skhvitaridze's claims, saying there had been no self-harm, hunger strike or other incidents described in his letter and that the situation at the facility was calm.
"The facts cited in his post are completely false, and there is complete calm in the facility," the Service said.
