Iakob Guledani, an inmate at Rustavi’s Penitentiary Facility No. 17, was found dead, TV Pirveli reported on October 4, citing a relative. While the Special Penitentiary Service said Guledani had died by suicide after being found hanging in a cell toilet, his family disputed this account.
The inmate’s aunt, Valida Guledani, told TV Pirveli that the family was notified of his death on October 2. She said she did not believe he had taken his own life, noting that he had spent about three and a half years in prison and that his sentence was due to end in a few months. The aunt also said that his body reportedly showed signs of violence.
Shortly after TV Pirveli’s report, the Special Penitentiary Service released a statement saying that “convict I. G. was found hanging in the toilet in the morning by a cellmate.” The agency said it had “immediately notified” the Kvemo Kartli Regional Prosecutor’s Office, and an investigation was launched.
“It should be noted that the convict had been held in Penitentiary Facility No. 17 since 2023 (sentence end date: 2028), where he was serving his sentence in a 20-person cell. On the day of the death as well, since the incident occurred in the morning hours, his cellmates were present in the cell,” the statement said.
It added that “the penitentiary service is actively cooperating with the investigative body, and all relevant materials related to the case have already been provided to the investigation.”
Guledani’s aunt said she believed there were signs of violence on his body.
“I don’t know what the experts established and what they didn’t, but he would never have killed himself; he has also traces of violence, I think,” she said. “He was in prison for three and a half years and didn’t kill himself, and now, when he was due to get out in 2-3 months, he would kill himself?”
The case follows a separate controversy last week, when a Rustavi No.6 prison inmate, Giorgi Davitadze, alleged sexual assault by prison guards in a de-escalation cell. Authorities “categorically” denied the allegations and released footage in an attempt to support their account, while the Public Defender said it found “no evidence” of ill-treatment in the video recordings.
However, critics did not find the agency’s use of the footage convincing, calling for the recordings to be studied in more detail. Davitadze’s family also disputed the officials’ account and demanded the full release of the recordings, including audio, which they said showed violence against him. They also called for the resignation of prison chief Shota Trapaidze.
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