Abuse of inmates happens in every Georgian jail, says torture whistleblower

The penal system in Georgia is rife with the sadistic abuse of inmates covered under a glossy façade, claims an ex-deputy chief warden, who released footage of beatings and rape allegedly taken in a Tbilisi prison.

Vladimir Bedukadze alleges that top Georgian officials, including President Saakashvili, were aware of the abuses at the Gdlani prison, which triggered a major political scandal in the country. He claims that inmates in Georgia face inhumane treatment for political reasons or simply for the amusement of those in charge of jails.

Bedukadze told RT that he wanted to release the footage after bringing his family to Belgium, where he is seeking political asylum. But the Georgian authorities found out about the incriminating evidence and tried to undermine it by painting him a crook and a fabricator.

RT: Vladimir, how long have you been making these videos?

Vladimir Bedukadze: I have been working as the prison’s deputy chief warden since 2008.

RT: Who gave the orders? Who in the government knew what was going on? And who kept this matter under wraps?

VB: I made those videos on the instruction of the chief warden, and then the chief warden showed these videos to Minister Akhalaia. I made those videos over the period of a year, or maybe six months, I’m not sure. I didn’t make them in a day or two. They were accumulated over a period of time, and eventually I had two hours of video. Minister Akhalaia was in charge of all correctional facilities. Then Saakashvili made him Deputy Defense Minister. Then he became Defense Minister, and then, Minister of Internal Affairs. Throughout this time, Akhalaia remained in charge of Georgia’s prison system.

RT: How do you know the chief warden showed those videos to Akhalaia?

VB: I just did what I was told to do. I made those videos for him, and then he would take the tape, and I don’t know what he would do with it. But Akhalaia would often come to the Gdlani prison, perhaps once or twice a week. He used to spend a lot of time talking to the chief warden in his office. Akhalaia was a very close ally of President Saakashvili, whom President Bush called a “beacon of democracy.” He was fully aware of what was going on in the prisons. This is why I insist that Saakashvili should resign. In a democratic country, it wouldn’t be the Minister of Interior Affairs or Defense Minister stepping down; the President would resign. President Saakashvili must step down if he is a democrat. But he’s no democrat. He keeps the entire nation in chaos and fear. He relies on criminals. He has people with blood on their hands working in high positions in the government.

RT: Was Saakashvili aware of what was going on?

VB: Of course he knew. Saakashvili was fully aware of what was going on. When Akhalaia was appointed minister in 2005, the system was very far from European standards. Then Saakashvili appointed Akhalaia minister, and Akhalaia started taking very tough steps. He would send security forces into prisons. They would break into prisons and beat up inmates. Even Akhalaia himself would often be there with a camera, filming everything. And then, I think, he would show those videos to Saakashvili in order to show him what kind of system he had built. European MPs would visit the Gdlani prison, and they were impressed. They would say, “How did you manage to build such a system? You have 4,000 inmates there, and this place is so quiet, we haven’t heard as much as somebody speaking loudly. It’s almost as if there were no inmates there at all.

RT: You’re saying this has been going on for some time. Why did you release these materials now?

VB: In May, I asked myself whether I wanted to serve the regime or be a man. I tendered my resignation, took the videos I had made and left the country. I was afraid because I thought they would kill me. So I came to Belgium and asked for political asylum. My family is currently in Georgia. This is why I asked the Belgian authorities to grant me and my family political asylum as soon as possible.

RT: Are you afraid that something may happen?

VB: Yes. Saakashvili is mentally unstable. Nobody knows what he may do.

RT: Do you have specific reasons to be concerned about your family? Have you received any threats?

VB: Yes, after I released those videos, some people called me on the phone a few times, telling me to keep my mouth shut.

RT: And then you moved to Belgium?

VB: No. Those phone calls were just a couple of days ago. I secretly left Georgia and came to Belgium in July. I have been here for three months now, and for financial reasons I have been unable to bring my family here. Belgian institutions tell me my videos can’t be published before my family comes here, because nobody knows what Saakashvili may do to them. As soon as my family is in Belgium, this footage will be released. When I came to Belgium, I played those tapes to the European Commission and the European Parliament, and they assured me that they would keep it secret and that Saakashvili would never find out about it. They kept their word, but somehow four or five days ago President Saakashvili found out about this tape, and then he told Akhalaia to get two of my friends who worked with me at the prison, and stage a beating of an inmate. So those two guys beat up an innocent inmate, and then that video was aired on Georgian television. They claim that they did it on my orders. The purpose of this fabrication was to create an impression that I was connected to the opposition. They say I was paid 2 million dollars for those videos. But I have never been involved in politics. I have never been in a political party. I didn’t care about politics.

RT: Your critics say the upcoming election is the reason why you have published these videos now.

VB: No, no. They started this by publishing their video! They contacted two of my friends, made that video with an inmate and played it on Georgian TV. What could I do? I had this tape with two hours of footage. I had to defend myself. They forced me to release those videos.

RT: You mean you released your videos in response to what they did?

VB: Right. This had nothing to do with the election.

RT: Let me get this straight. You’re saying that Saakashvili somehow found out that you had these videos…

VB: Actually, it was not Saakashvili. It was Minister Akhalaia who found out.

RT: And then they published their video to accuse you, and after that you released your videos.

VB: Right. Except that their video was staged, it was a fabrication. Those two friends of mine are in prison now. Actually, four of my friends are in prison. This is just to put psychological pressure on me. Saakashvili and Akhalaia accused me of torture and issued a warrant for me. I’m a wanted man now.

RT: Who gave you the order to make those videos? And who among the high-ranking officials knew about what was going on?

VB: Nobody – just the chief warden and I. I was deputy chief warden. He wanted me to film some interesting moments: for example, when police arrest an opposition activist, or a prominent figure, is arrested, he wanted it on tape. Probably, they intended to use those videos later against those people. The chief warden would take those videos to Akhalaia, and Akhalaia would take them to the President. They used it for entertainment. They enjoyed watching how helpless people were in their hands. Once they take you to prison, you are nobody. You have no dignity. This is why these videos caused such an outrage in Georgia. This is why all those young people are protesting.

RT: How did they pick inmates for torture?

VB: They just did it for entertainment, or, if an inmate had something to do with politics, if he was Saakashvili’s enemy, they would pick him. The system is extremely politicized.

Georgian prison torture: Citizens protest in thousands

Thousands of protesters are taking to the streets in several Georgian cities since Tuesday after national TV channels broadcast video evidence of torture and rape in a Tbilisi prison. The minister of execution of sentences has resigned as a result.

Masses of Georgians joined spontaneous rallies in Tbilisi, Batumi, Poti, Gori and other cities after Maestro TV and TV-9 exposed that guards in the Gldan detention facility in the country’s capital beat prisoners and raped them with rubber truncheons.

Shocked by the terror and violence on TV screens, citizens are calling for justice and promise to continue their protests if no action taken.

Hundreds of protesters shut down traffic in central Tbilisi as they marched to the Interior Ministry building.

Protesters demanded the Minister of Execution of Sentences and Corrections Khatuna Kalmakhelidze be fired. She had been fiercely criticized for quite some time already, and on Wednesday morning the minister submitted her resignation.

“Being a minister I tried to make human rights secure, but it seems my efforts were insufficient,” the former minister stated.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was forced to make a special statement on Tuesday night.

“What happened in Gldan Prison is an outrageous act targeting human dignity and rights. Those who organized, implemented and allowed it to happen deserve the strictest punishment and they will spend many years in prison,” Saakashvili promised.

The president also vowed to completely reorganize the penitentiary system in the country. First “it is necessary to suspend current prison workers replacing them with patrol police,” he said.

“It is not a police function, but until prison staff is renewed and new workers hired, police officers will temporarily perform their duties,” Saakashvili was quoted as saying at the meeting with the prime minister, justice minister and prosecutor general.

An investigation was initiated and 15 guards suspected of torture have been detained. These include the director of the Gldan prison, David Chkadua, and guard Datu Akobia, who actually made the video of suspects abusing prisoners. Akobia was arrested trying to cross the Armenian-Georgian border at the Sadahlo checkpoint.

Reports say the suspects claim that the videos were staged by provocateurs paid to discredit the authorities ahead of the elections.

The Prosecutor General of Georgia Murtaz Zodelava has stated at a special media briefing dedicated to the scandalous case that the videos of torture in prison were passed to TV channels by members of the opposition.

He specified that it was Tamaz Tamazishvili, a representative of the Georgian Dream opposition coalition led by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the opponent and main political rival for the upcoming presidential election of the ruling President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Ivanishvili has already called the whole case a provocation against him two weeks ahead of the presidential election.

The Ministry of Interior claimed that opposition activist Tamazishvili was the person who “made a proposal to the employees of the detention facility to stage and make video records of inhumane treatment of the suspects in exchange for significant compensation.”

The Ministry of Interior has published certain fragments of the video evidence from Gldan prison on its website with comments that most of the material is not allowed to be played in public.

The video evidence of prison torture was leaked to TV channels by former jailer Vladimir Bedukadze, who is currently on the wanted list. In an interview to TV-9 he claimed that torture of the suspects had been ordered by Minister of the Interior Bacho Ahalaya and that Kalmakhelidze had been aware of acts of torture in various Georgian prisons.

Russia wary as Georgia cozies up to NATO

As Tbilisi continues to cozy up to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Moscow is concerned the relationship may result in Georgia again provoking tension with Russia.

At a briefing with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that the future was in  Georgia's hands but it should know that it had a friend in NATO.

Later, Georgian Defense Minister Dimitri Shashkin told reporters that "NATO is the future home of Georgia."

Concerned that the western military alliance may be encouraging Georgia to mischief, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said such statements prove that NATO has not learned any lessons from the 2008 conflict in the South Caucasus.

“Such statements tell us that NATO failed to learn its lessons from the tragic events that took place in the South Caucasus in 2008, and continues to encourage Tbilisi,” Alexander Lukashevich, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said.

The comment was posted on the ministry’s web-site on Monday.

“Everybody knows Russia’s approach to this,” Lukashevich continued. “We don’t think that continuing with this notion of Georgia’s possible membership in NATO will boost anybody’s security. On the contrary, [such statements] encourages the Georgian authorities in their efforts to seek revenge.”

Such statements serve to aggravate tension in the South Caucasus due to Tbilisi’s reluctance to accept the current political situation, the minister added.

Moscow has reason to be concerned about an overconfident Tbilisi in its backyard. On August 8, 2008, Russia was forced to respond to a Georgian military offensive against South Ossetia. The surprise attack on the capital of Tskhinval resulted in the death of Russian peacekeepers, as well as hundreds of civilians.

The assault led to five days of hostilities, with the Russian military eventually advancing temporarily into Georgian territory before a ceasefire was brokered.

Following the conflict, Russia voted to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign states.

Moscow is concerned that Mikhail Saakashvili, emboldened by NATO overtures, may be tempted to initiate another military misadventure in the region.

Meanwhile, in an ongoing scramble to join the Alliance, Tbilisi is busy trying to persuade the West that it respects democracy. Rasmussen lectured Georgia on upcoming parliamentary elections this October and Presidential elections in 2013, saying they would serve as a litmus test for Georgian democracy, and thus a determining factor in joining NATO.

“I trust that all political players in Georgia will play a responsible role in this process,” said the Secretary General. “The future is in your hands. But know this: you have a friend in NATO – and a future home in NATO.”

“Georgia will continue its course of democracy and reforms,” Saakashvili said. “Let me assure you that the authorities will do everything to make these elections the freest and most transparent polls in the history of this country."

Rasmussen said that NATO would keep the door open to countries which continued moving on the path of reform and integration.

No third country has a right to interfere with NATO decisions; NATO is conducting an "open doors" policy and hopes that Russia would respect its decision, he said.

The NATO secretary-general reminded that during the NATO summit in Chicago held in May 2012 confirmed, NATO welcomed Georgia's desire to become a member of the military pact, which was borne out of the Cold War.

Not all Georgians, however, are enthusiastic over Saakashvili’s militaristic ambitions.

Several local opposition parties in Georgia have come out against NATO membership, calling for a policy of non-alignment with any political blocs. The political opposition argues that if Georgia abandons its course towards NATO membership the process of a peaceful unification with Russia will begin.

In April 2008, NATO refused to grant membership to Tbilisi and Kiev under the Membership Action Plan (MAP). In December 2008, NATO foreign ministers presented Georgian officials a new format of cooperation, which include the implementation of national programs designed at bringing Georgia into the NATO fold.

Last week, the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen participated in a farewell ceremony for the two Georgian battalions setting off for Afghanistan. With Australia pulling out troops Georgia will become the largest non-NATO contributor to the US-led mission.

Although the alliance will complete its mission in Afghanistan in 2014, it will continue to provide support to the Afghan Armed Forces, and Georgia will continue to be a “major non-NATO contributor,” Rasmussen said.