Prisoner alleges sexual violence at Rustavi No.6 prison; other inmates also reported being subjected to violence after protesting in solidarity with him.
After a prisoner at Rustavi’s No. 6 Penitentiary alleged that prison guards had sexually assaulted him — describing what he said was forced penetration with a finger — other prisoners reportedly began protesting and making allegations of violence and mistreatment.
The allegations became public on October 2, when prisoner Giorgi Davitadze said during an appellate court hearing that he had been subjected to violence by several prison guards in what he described as a humiliating act.
“They took me to the de-escalation room and raped me — with a finger, with a hand. I am saying this here, in front of my family. Mr. Judge, you can see how he makes this movement toward my buttocks. At the same time, he lies to me as if he has taken his trousers down, but he has his finger inside me. What more can they do to a man? Ten men raped me. The guards are there and everything can be seen on camera. They do everything under the cameras, standing in such a way that it cannot be seen, but they still cannot hide it,” Davitadze said.
According to Davitadze, after he requested forensic examinations, he was subjected to what he described as “unimaginable pressure.” He also said he had attempted suicide, following which a representative of the Public Defender’s Office visited him.
“I tell the man, ‘I was raped.’ The representative of the Public Defender’s Office lowers his head and tells me to pause the footage… Why is there no audio in the de-escalation room when they call me ‘f*cked,’ ‘chicken,’ … ? I attempted suicide because what is it like to keep seeing the same guards who raped you?” Davitadze said in court.
Giorgi Davitadze is the son of former Tbilisi City Council member Avtandil Davitadze. Avtandil Davitadze took a seat in the Tbilisi City Council in 2014 on the Georgian Dream coalition ticket and was a member of the Georgian Dream–National Forum faction.
Davitadze’s family says that he was beaten by guards at Rustavi prison and that he has been subjected to systematic violence.
Penitentiary Service denies allegations
On the same day, the Special Penitentiary Service released video footage, without audio, showing Giorgi Davitadze being transferred to and staying in a de-escalation cell on December 21, 2025. Davitadze says the sexual assault took place during this incident.
The Penitentiary Service said the allegation was false.
According to the agency, under the rules governing penitentiary institutions and the Penitentiary Code, prisoners transferred to a de-escalation cell are subject to an inspection and search. The service said Davitadze “categorically refused” to undergo the procedure and began verbally insulting prison staff:
“The footage also shows that only after this, in order to perform their duties, the institution’s employees forcibly carried out an inspection of the prisoner, using an electronic detector on his body,” the Penitentiary Service said.
The agency said it had previously refrained from releasing the footage because an investigation into the case was ongoing and it did not want its actions to be perceived as an attempt to put pressure on the investigation.
“However, given the high level of public interest in the matter, the particular sensitivity of the case, and the deliberate attempt by the prisoner’s family to discredit the agency, the Penitentiary Service made the decision [to release the footage],” it said.
The Penitentiary Service also said that, since March 3, 2026, continuous video footage documenting all of Davitadze’s movements inside the penitentiary has been archived. According to the agency, the footage can be provided to all interested parties in accordance with the procedures established by law.
Davitadze’s mother, however, said the footage released by the Penitentiary Service was incomplete and that a prosecutor had shown her footage lasting approximately 20 minutes.
“This is not complete. This is only part of the footage. I saw five files. This is their show now… They cut out one second that suited them. You will not succeed in washing away these criminal acts… From the files I saw, it lasted around 20 minutes,” she told TV Pirveli.
According to Davitadze’s mother, the footage showed guards taking her son to the de-escalation room while he was unaware of why he was being taken there.
Public Defender says no evidence of physical abuse was found
Public Defender Levan Ioseliani said his office had “thoroughly” examined the case of Giorgi Davitadze, who accuses prison guards of sexual violence.
Ioseliani said the Public Defender’s Office had not found “any evidence of physical ill-treatment or any type of violence.”
He said Davitadze had also reported verbal abuse, regarding which the Public Defender’s Office contacted the Prosecutor’s Office, which subsequently launched an investigation.
“We thoroughly examined this issue, including the archived materials. We requested that the materials be archived and reviewed the video recordings… We did not see any evidence of physical ill-treatment or any type of violence. He also referred to verbal abuse, and regarding this we contacted the Prosecutor’s Office, which launched an investigation,” Ioseliani said.
Political parties and civil society organisations called for an immediate investigation into the allegations.
Davitadze reportedly swallows an unidentified object
On October 4, the Special Penitentiary Service said that at 9:12 p.m., Giorgi Davitadze, who had accused prison guards of sexual violence, swallowed an “unidentified small object.”
According to the agency, he did so “demonstratively” in front of a prison employee.
The Penitentiary Service said Davitadze was offered transfer to Vivamedi hospital for further medical monitoring, but refused.
Davitadze’s father responded to the statement and called on the Public Defender’s Office to intervene. Speaking to Formula TV, he said he believed that pressure on his son might be continuing inside the prison.
According to a representative of the Public Defender’s Office, Davitadze refused to be transferred to hospital until prisoners who had been moved to de-escalation rooms after expressing solidarity with him were returned to their cells.
Davitadze’s family reported that several prisoners expressed solidarity and protested from inside their cells by making collective noise. The family says that, in response, some of the prisoners were transferred by guards to de-escalation rooms.
The Special Penitentiary Service denied this account. It released footage from October 2 and said the prisoners had been transferred to de-escalation rooms because they had physically attacked prison guards, rather than because they had protested in solidarity with Davitadze.
Justice Minister calls accusations attempts to destabilize prisons
On October 5, Georgian Dream Justice Minister Paata Salia said that “certain forces want to create destabilisation in penitentiary institutions.”
Salia was referring to what he called “unconfirmed allegations” concerning the case of Giorgi Davitadze, which, he said, certain actors were attempting to present as established facts.
He also said that “these statements” concerning violence in prisons “may contain signs of a crime.”
Paata Salia did not answer questions about why exactly Giorgi Davitadze was transferred to the de-escalation room.
Journalists also asked Salia whether there is footage with audio and whether cameras installed in de-escalation rooms record sound. Despite repeated questions, the minister declined to answer.
“I will not answer that question,” Salia told journalists.
Giorgi Davitadze’s family is demanding that the full footage with audio be made public, rather than only an edited segment.
We also asked the Georgian Dream minister to comment on the manner in which Davitadze was searched, based on the footage released by the Penitentiary Service. Salia said Davitadze had been protesting and had prevented Penitentiary Service employees from carrying out their duties as required by law.
Following Giorgi Davitadze’s allegations of sexual violence by Penitentiary Service personnel, none of the individuals allegedly involved has been removed from the penitentiary facility.
Paata Salia maintains that Davitadze’s safety is fully protected and that his rights will be safeguarded. According to the minister, ‘Davitadze’s life and health are being monitored around the clock’.
“There are procedures for transferring a prisoner from one institution to another, and there are specific grounds and prerequisites. Accordingly, if those prerequisites are met, we will consider the transfer and move him; if they are not met, we will not transfer him,” Salia said.
Other prisoners reportedly go on hunger strike
Also on October 5, lawyer Darejan Sulashvili said that six prisoners at Rustavi No. 6 Penitentiary had begun a hunger strike in solidarity with Giorgi Davitadze.
The lawyer told journalists about the hunger strike after meeting with Davitadze in prison. According to Sulashvili, Davitadze himself had provided her with the information.
The hunger strike was also confirmed by Sophio Khorguani, a member of the political party For Georgia, who visited Davitadze in prison on October 5.
The Penitentiary Service, however, did not confirm the information to Netgazeti.
Lawyer alleges another prisoner was beaten in solidarity with Davitadze
On October 5, lawyer Ana Akopova said that prisoner Lasha Chachanidze had been “severely beaten with batons by guards at the No. 6 facility because he expressed solidarity with Giorgi Davitadze by shouting.”
Akopova, who represents Chachanidze, said she met with him on October 5 at Batumi No. 3 Penitentiary, where he told her that he had been beaten at the Rustavi No. 6 facility on October 2 — the same day the Penitentiary Service released footage concerning Davitadze.
According to Akopova, visible signs of physical violence remained on different parts of Chachanidze’s body.
She also said that several other prisoners at the Rustavi No. 6 facility had been severely beaten for expressing solidarity with Davitadze.
According to the lawyer, on October 3, Chachanidze and three other prisoners who had allegedly been beaten were transferred from the Rustavi No. 6 facility (where Davitadze is serving his sentence) to Batumi No. 3 Penitentiary, without being informed of the reasons for their transfer, according to Akopova.
The lawyer said Chachanidze had identified the director of the facility, Shota Trapaidze, as the person who displayed particular aggression toward him.
Batumelebi contacted the press center of the Special Penitentiary Service, which categorically denied that the prisoner had been physically assaulted.
On October 6, lawyer Omar Purtseladze said that he had visited his client, Beka Shengelia, at Rustavi No. 6 Penitentiary. According to Purtseladze, Shengelia told him about the situation inside the prison and expressed fears for his safety.
Purtseladze said Shengelia reported that, following the public disclosure of Giorgi Davitadze’s case, certain prison administration employees had allegedly attempted to provoke physical confrontations with prisoners.
According to Shengelia, these employees had continuously verbally abused prisoners in their cells for several hours, which subsequently led to several incidents.
Shengelia also told his lawyer that at least four prisoners were currently on hunger strike.
According to Purtseladze, Shengelia plans to remain in his cell to avoid being provoked into a confrontation and/or having an illegal item “planted” on him.
Shengelia holds the prison administration and the Ministry of Justice fully responsible for his life and health and for any possible complications, according to his lawyer.
The hunger-striking prisoners and Shengelia are demanding that all pressure against them cease immediately and that the specific prison administration employees allegedly involved be suspended from their duties.
Shengelia is also requesting a meeting with the Public Defender. According to his lawyer, he intends to provide the public with information about the identities of the specific employees through the Public Defender’s Office.
“His public statement should serve as a guarantee of his safety,” Purtseladze said.
Davitadze’s family continues protests
On October 6, members of Giorgi Davitadze’s family continued their protests outside the Special Penitentiary Service and the Georgian Public Broadcaster.
They are demanding the resignation of those allegedly involved in the violence, including the Special Penitentiary Service’s Director General, Giorgi Pataridze, and Shota Trapaidze, director of Rustavi No. 6 Penitentiary. The family also calls on the Public Broadcaster to provide airtime and cover the allegations.
Papuashvili accuses online media of disinformation campaign over Davitadze case
Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili criticised online media outlets over their coverage of the case of prisoner Giorgi Davitadze.
Papuashvili accused the outlets of being “at the forefront of disinformation campaigns,” although he did not specify what information he considered to be false or misleading:
“The whole campaign that we are seeing — and we see the same faces here, right? The same extremist groups that we see at the forefront of this campaign, the same online outlets that have repeatedly received awards from various global progressive groups and are often at the forefront of such disinformation campaigns. It is the same attempt to present an absolute absurdity as an issue, and this is a standard campaign against common sense,” Papuashvili said.
He further claimed that the case was part of an “information attack” against Georgia carried out by a group of people, intending to destabilise the country.
“The problem is that the NGOs supporting and standing behind all this — we saw their statement — are funded from abroad precisely so that such information attacks against Georgia can be carried out. And there are media outlets that, what can I say, receive medals after medals and diplomas after diplomas from abroad precisely because they help various groups carry out an information assault against Georgia,” Papuashvili said.
Earlier, on October 4, another Georgian Dream official, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, also commented on the case, calling it “planned.” According to Kaladze, no misconduct had taken place against Davitadze.