The health of imprisoned civil activist and teacher Nino Datashvili, a prisoner of conscience, has deteriorated sharply, raising serious concerns about her survival in detention.
Her husband, Godi Pruidze, wrote on Facebook that he visited Datashvili on October 28 at the Rustavi Women’s Colony and found her in alarming condition. According to Pruidze, Datashvili can barely move, suffers from severe spinal and neck pain, and was brought to their meeting in a wheelchair.
“Today I saw my wife, Nino, at the women’s penitentiary. She could not climb the stairs to the visiting room and was brought in a wheelchair, sitting stiffly with a frozen neck. She has lost movement in her right arm and leg, and even eating has become difficult,” Pruidze wrote.
“She urgently needs surgery and rehabilitation, not imprisonment. An innocent woman — a teacher, researcher, and master’s student — should not spend even an hour in such conditions. Without immediate medical intervention, she faces the risk of paralysis or even death.”
Pruidze also described harsh prison conditions, including poor hygiene, inadequate bedding, and lack of proper medical care. He said that despite her worsening state in mid-September, Datashvili was not transferred to a hospital but instead placed in an “adapted” cell, where sewage recently overflowed and dampness spread across the floor and walls.
A participant of pro-European protests, an activist Nino Kalandia, who spoke with Datashvili by phone, confirmed that her health has become “critically severe.”
Kalandia said that on October 24, Datashvili underwent an MRI scan at VivaMedi, which revealed herniated cervical discs (C5-C6) — a diagnosis not detected in earlier medical reports according to Kalandia. As the activist reports, the new findings indicate the need for two surgeries, with the cervical spine operation being the most urgent.
“Can you imagine the postoperative period in a prison cell?” Kalandia wrote. “After such a serious surgery, rehabilitation in those conditions would be hell. Nino told me that while she once feared paralysis below the waist, now she fears paralysis below the neck. She said, ‘Maybe I should write my will.’”
The human rights organization Partnership for Human Rights (PHR), which represents Datashvili in court, released a statement on October 28 saying her health has “sharply deteriorated” in prison.
PHR announced it will file a motion at hearing on October 29 requesting that the court replace Datashvili’s pretrial detention with an alternative measure, citing medical necessity.
Datashvili, a civic education teacher and civil activist, was arrested on June 20 and charged with assaulting a court marshal. The prosecution seeks to classify as “assault” an incident that occurred when marshals forcibly removed her from the courtroom. The case is being investigated under part 3, Article 3532 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, – punishable by four to seven years in prison.
Her supporters and lawyers argue that Datashvili is being persecuted for her activism and that the authorities are ignoring her critical medical condition.
“Instead of investigating the violence committed against her by court marshals, the state fabricated charges and locked her in prison,” said Pruidze. “Now they are slowly destroying her health.”
Calls for Urgent Action
Public outrage has been growing online, with activists, journalists, and rights defenders demanding Datashvili’s immediate transfer to a medical facility.
“She urgently needs surgery and rehabilitation,” wrote Pruidze. “If this continues, Georgia may soon bear responsibility for another preventable tragedy behind bars.”
