Ramaz Pirtskhalava, director of Tbilisi’s Gldani Prison (Penitentiary Facility No. 8), has been dismissed from his post amid allegations of physical violence against the prison’s inmate.
The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia announced the dismissal on November 2, noting that Pirtskhalava was replaced by Nodar Kinkladze, who until now had served as director of Laituri prison in the Guria region of Western Georgia. The agency added that the changes were made by order of the Service’s chief, with the consent of the Ministry of Justice.
While the statement did not identify the reason for the dismissal, it comes amid the ongoing investigation into the allegations of violence against inmate Davit Peikrishvili by cellmates at the Gldani prison.
Peikrishvili, a figure associated with Georgia’s criminal underworld, was detained together with his twin brother in September on charges of “legalizing illicit revenues in large amounts.” He was hospitalized with multiple injuries twice, on October 19 and October 20, with his lawyer and family alleging that he was assaulted by a group of cellmates that included Vato Kipiani and Avtandil (“Katsro”) Bilanishvili, figures also associated with the criminal underworld with a reported history of conflict with the Peikrishvili brothers.
The dismissal follows October 26’s resignation of Giorgi Pataridze, head of the Special Penitentiary Service, after the Prosecutor’s Office recommended that the Ministry of Justice suspend him amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged assault on Peikrishvili. Pataridze was replaced by Ramaz Tatarashvili, who previously headed the Shida Kartli regional police department.
The dismissals also come amid a series of prison controversies, including allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of prison guards, as well as subsequent reports of tensions and physical violence inside penitentiary facilities.
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