Gldanigate

by Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for VK

The scandal over videos of tortures and rapes at Prison 8 in Gldani continues to cause outrage in Georgia. The story has been called the Gldanigate Scandal, an analogue of the Watergate Scandal in the US in the 1970s.

A prison warden Bladimir Bedukadze gave the videos of rapes to journalists. Bedukadze was taking part in the tortures and recording them himself. He lives in Brussels where he escaped from vengeance. Regarding his part in the tortures and rapes, he insists that the acts were done according to the order of Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaya. The videos demonstrate that prison authorities and wardens were beating under-aged convicts, threatening to rape them and ordering to take their clothes off, unsuspecting that they were recorded on camera.

Bedukadze handed the records to journalists before moving to Brussels. They have recently been broadcasted by Maestro TV and Channel 9. Minister for Corrections and Legal Assistance Khatuna Kalmakhelidze was trying to blame second or third-rank functionaries for the case, but then she resigned, admitting failures to reform the penal system and its democratic standards of European states.

Nine prison officers were arrested, including its Director David Khuchua. They were accused of tortures with aggravations. The president tried to take the lead away from opposition, announcing dissolution of the system of corrections and firing all wardens to replace them with police officers.

Yekaterina Zguladze has become the new Interior Minister of Georgia on Thursday, replacing Bacho Akhalaya. The new minister promised to prevent violence in prisons and make the parliamentary elections on October 1 peaceful.

But the said measures cannot stop the outrage, augmented by negative responses of western institutions. International human rights organizations criticized the tortures. Statements were made by the EU mission in Georgia, embassies of the US and other states. UNICEF demanded Saakashvili’s administration to investigate beatings of under-aged convicts.

Protests broke out in Tbilisi and other cities. Most protesters are young people. Students organized protests at the building of the Georgian Public Television, demanding a live show. With receiving an answer, they moved to the Interior Ministry, blocking a central avenue in Tbilisi. They made a fire out of brooms, pointing out one of the most horrible scenes on the videos. No one came out to the students. The police notable for violent reactions to any such actions did not interfere this time. Judginng by the reaction, the government must have realized that careless movements could only escalate the situation.

The scandal happened on the eve of the elections and opposition will certainly use the situation to gain more voters. In any way, Georgia will not be the same after the scandalous video release. The changes will most likely affect other systems. No matter how you reform it, it is already too late.