Inmate Alleges Sexual Assault by Prison Guards, Service Denies Claim
By Messenger Staff
Monday, October 5, 2026
Convicted inmate Giorgi Davitadze told the Tbilisi Court of Appeals that prison guards sexually assaulted him in a de-escalation cell and that he later attempted suicide. Georgia's Special Penitentiary Service has "categorically" denied the allegation, while Public Defender Levan Ioseliani said his office found no evidence of physical violence or ill-treatment in the available video footage.
Davitadze, 36, made the allegation during an October 2 hearing. He is serving a sentence for wounding Interior Ministry employee Shalva Peradze and is the son of former Georgian Dream Tbilisi City Council member Avtandil Davitadze.
In an audio recording of the hearing published by TV Pirveli, Davitadze said employees of Penitentiary Establishment No. 6 took him to a de-escalation room and assaulted him.
"They took me down to the de-escalation [room] and raped me-with a finger, with a hand. I am saying this here, in the presence of my family," he said.
Davitadze alleged that up to 10 guards were involved and that they positioned themselves so the alleged abuse could not be clearly seen by surveillance cameras. He also said the guards verbally humiliated him and claimed the alleged abuse intensified after he requested forensic examinations.
"I attempted suicide because imagine having to look again every day at the same guards who raped you," Davitadze said.
The Special Penitentiary Service released footage from December 21, 2025, the day of the alleged incident, and called Davitadze's account "a complete lie."
The footage, which has no audio, shows guards restraining Davitadze in a de-escalation cell before carrying out what the Service described as a mandatory inspection using an electronic detector. Guards at times block parts of his body from view.
The Service said Davitadze had refused the required inspection and verbally insulted staff. It said he was placed in the cell for violating prison rules and had previously received disciplinary sanctions.
Davitadze's mother, Irma Davitadze, disputed the Service's account, saying the released footage was incomplete and omitted recordings that she claimed showed further abuse.
Ioseliani told TV Pirveli that the Public Defender's Office had examined the case and reviewed the available footage.
"We examined this matter in detail. Among other things, we requested that the materials be archived and reviewed the video recordings," Ioseliani said. "We found no evidence depicting any form of physical violence or ill-treatment."
He said Davitadze's allegation of verbal abuse had been referred to the Prosecutor's Office, which opened an investigation.
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, speaking on Imedi TV, said an "absolutely false campaign" had been launched over prison conditions. He contrasted the current system with conditions between 2004 and 2012, when he said prisons were overcrowded and torture and inhumane treatment were systemic. He also cited a decline in the prison population and annual inmate deaths.
