The Office of the Public Defender has issued a statement regarding the case of convicted prisoner Giorgi Davitaze

Although the details of the severe abuse described by the prisoner were not corroborated by the footage reviewed, the convicted prisoner’s complaint must be investigated by the authorities based on the collection and cross-checking of all possible evidence, the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia said in a statement.

The statement reads:

“Given the high public interest, we would like to provide the public with information about the response taken by the Office of the Public Defender regarding the case of convicted prisoner Giorgi Davitaze.

On December 26, 2025, Giorgi Davitaze’s lawyer contacted the Office of the Public Defender and reported that the prisoner had been subjected to ill-treatment. On the same day, a representative of the Public Defender visited and interviewed the convicted prisoner at Penitentiary Institution No. 6.

The prisoner stated that on December 20–21, 2025, employees of Penitentiary Institution No. 6 had violated his rights, including subjecting him to ill-treatment and sexual violence.

The Office of the Public Defender immediately notified the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia about the incident. Based on the Public Defender’s referral, the Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation.

In addition, the Office of the Public Defender contacted the Special Penitentiary Service to have the video recordings from the period specified by the prisoner archived. Both the convicted prisoner and his lawyer have been informed of the results of the Office of the Public Defender’s review of the video recordings.

Specifically, although the footage reviewed did not corroborate the details of the severe abuse described by the prisoner, the convicted prisoner’s complaint must be investigated by the authorities based on the collection and cross-checking of all possible evidence. In light of this, the Office of the Public Defender has continued to systematically monitor the investigation launched by the Prosecutor’s Office and calls on the Prosecutor’s Office to present the results of the investigation to the public within a reasonable timeframe.

The Office of the Public Defender continues to examine the case of Giorgi Davitaze,” the statement said.

For context, according to a statement made by convicted prisoner Giorgi Davitaze at the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, he accused guards at Penitentiary Institution No. 6 of rape. According to Davitaze, the incident took place in the de-escalation room and involved several individuals; he claimed that “everything is visible on the cameras.”

The Special Penitentiary Service also responded to the allegations, calling them disinformation. According to the Penitentiary Service, “there was not only no sexual violence against Davitaze, but no violence of any kind took place.”