Convicted prisoner Artem Gribul has accused a staff member of Gldani Prison, whom inmates reportedly know as “Makho,” of degrading treatment. The information was shared by his lawyer, Daria Samodurova.
According to the lawyer, the first incident occurred on 23 February. She states that the prison officer verbally insulted Gribul, threatened to place him in a disciplinary cell, and told him that he “personally resolves and controls everything in the prison.” Samodurova reports that the incident began after Gribul’s cellmate was taken to a disciplinary cell for requesting to call the Public Defender, while Gribul refused an order to pack his cellmate’s belongings.
The lawyer further states that following the incident, Gribul and his cellmate were transferred to another, smaller cell and later moved to so-called quarantine facilities. According to her, the conditions in both the disciplinary cell and quarantine unit were poor, including unsanitary conditions, cockroaches, and an inadequate living environment. Daria Samodurova has indicated that she is preparing a complaint to be submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office, and that the Office of the Public Defender has also been informed of the situation.Artem Gribul and his partner, Anastasia Zinovkina, both Russian citizens, were arrested in Georgia on 17 December 2024. The prosecution charged them with the purchase and possession of a particularly large quantity of narcotic substances. On 12 September 2025, the court sentenced both individuals to 8.5 years of imprisonment. They deny the charges and claim that their arrest was linked to their participation in pro-European protests in Georgia.
