Prisoners at Rustavi Prison No 6 have alleged that they were beaten, threatened, and subjected to psychological pressure after protesting in solidarity with fellow inmate Giorgi Davitadze, who on 2 October accused prison guards of raping and humiliating him. The allegations have been denied by Georgia’s Special Penitentiary Service, which said it ‘categorically rules out any kind of violence’ against prisoners and previously described Davitadze’s rape allegation as ‘a complete lie’. Davitadze alleged that around 10 prison guards raped and humiliated him in a prison de-escalation room in December 2025. Prisoner alleges guards raped him, Penitentiary Service denies claim Georgia’s Penitentiary Service released footage which they claim shows officers searching and restraining Giorgi Davitadze. OC Media Lana Kokaia His allegations have since prompted protests by other inmates. Several prisoners have said they were subjected to violence by prison staff after expressing solidarity with him. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze dismissed the allegations as speculation and said the situation in the penitentiary system was under control. ‘There may have been certain difficulties somewhere, but the situation is fully under control. There is no reason for any disruption of peace’, Kobakhidze said . Shota Minasov, a prisoner who was serving his sentence at Rustavi Prison No 6, told opposition-leaning TV Pirveli that he cut his veins in protest over the alleged treatment of Davitadze. He said prison staff then removed him from his cell and beat him. ‘Because of Giorgi Davitadze, because they tortured him by his finger [Davitadze alleged that a guard raped him with a finger], I cut my veins and protested,’ Minasov said. He alleged that, after he was taken to the first floor, special forces officers beat him and another prisoner, Lasha Chachanidze. Minasov also alleged that other prisoners, including Levan and a prisoner identified as Chedia, were beaten. He accused prison director Shota Trapaidze and his deputies of participating in the violence or ordering it. Georgian prisoners allege they were punished for expressing solidarity with Giorgi Davitadze Giorgi Davitadze has alleged prison guards raped him, which the authorities deny. OC Media Lana Kokaia According to Minasov, the deputy prison director also threatened to detain his mother, who had cancer, if he spoke publicly about what had happened. Following the protest, Minasov and Chachanidze were transferred from Rustavi Prison No 6 to Batumi Prison No 3, he said. Another prisoner, Nodar Kiknadze also alleged that inmates were subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Kiknadze claimed that prisoners were beaten before being taken to the de-escalation room and that staff tried to avoid being captured by surveillance cameras. ‘Before you enter the de-escalation room, there is another room, and they beat us there too — while covering the cameras’, Kiknadze told TV Pirveli . He also alleged that one method of mistreatment was lowering the temperature in the de-escalation room to a minimum during winter. Kiknadze claims he spent three months at the VivaMedi clinic because of injuries he sustained in prison. Detained opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili said on Wednesday that inmates at Rustavi Prison No 6 had staged a protest in solidarity with Davitadze. He claimed the protest lasted for hours, with prisoners shouting, breaking windows, and shaking the prison. He also said several inmates had self-harmed. Elisashvili claims the prison administration had begun transferring inmates from the facility amid the protests, but it was unclear how they had been treated during the transfers. He claimed that inmates had also been prevented from calling the Public Defender’s hotline that night. ‘The situation in the prison remains tense’, Elisashvili wrote, calling for information about the prisoners who had been transferred and their current condition to be made public. The head of the Social Justice Centre, Tamta Mikeladze, said the allegations and concerns raised by prisoners should be independently investigated. ‘Prisoners and convicted people are spreading various pieces of information and expressing concerns about the policy of control and treatment in prisons’, Mikeladze said. She called on the Public Defender to deploy its Special Preventive Group to conduct systematic monitoring of different prisons. Mikeladze said the group can enter closed institutions without prior warning and meet inmates in person, including confidentially. She also called for the Public Defender to create a dialogue platform with lawyers and human rights defenders. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claims that footage from the prison showed that the penitentiary system had acted according to international standards and the principle of proportionality when using force. ‘I know what international standards are, and in this case, the penitentiary system acted according to the standards’, he said. ‘If there are complaints, they can appeal to the relevant agencies’. Kobakhidze also said that the initial results of an investigation were known and argued that the investigation should be completed as soon as possible. OC Media contacted Georgia’s Special Penitentiary Service about the prisoners’ allegations. The service said it ‘categorically rules out any kind of violence’ against convicted prisoners.