On November 16, the Penitentiary Service released a public statement accusing the media outlets TV Pirveli and Formula of disseminating false information. The agency responded to stories circulated in the media, where prisoners spoke about the unbearable conditions in the prison, and their family members asked the Public Defender (Ombudsman) to start an urgent monitoring of the penitentiary system. They also demanded that the Ombudsman establish how many medical personnel serve the Gldani Prison and who is responsible for the spoiled food brought into the facility.
The Penitentiary Service responded to the prisoners’ accusations with a statement, noting that such problems do not exist in the system.
On November 15, the agency also dismissed as false a story aired on TV Pirveli’s Saturday program, in which a prisoner of conscience, Rezo Kiknadze, described the situation in the system in a letter.
This is not the first time that “Georgian Dream” and the institutions under its influence have attempted to discredit critical and independent media outlets.
