Georgian prisoners stop hunger strike
By Nazrin Gadimova
About 40 prisoners in the Georgian prison No. 15 in Ksani and prison No. 17 in Rustavi have stopped their hunger strike, the Georgian Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance said on August 1.
The hunger strike at the prison in Rustavi started on July 23. The prisoners put forward a concrete term and an ultimatum, with two participants of the protest sowing up their mouths in defiance. Also, a hunger strike was launched at the prison located in the Georgian village of Ksani on July 25. It involved six prisoners and all of them demanded a review of their cases, according to the ministry of corrections.
The convicts decided to stop the protest after they met with the chair of the parliamentary Committee for Human Rights and Civil Integration Eka Beselia, a member of the committee Gedevan Popkhvadze, as well as First Deputy Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance Giga Giorgadze. During a visit to the prison No. 15 in Ksani Georgian Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili joined the deputies.
Eka Beselia and Giga Giorgadze promised to the convicts to review the decisions of the local councils. As for the judicial decisions taken after the abolition of the combined punishment system, Beselia promised to study the case of each prisoner individually.
According to the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance, after the meeting with the members of parliament and the deputy minister all of the strikers decided to stop the hunger strike.