Former Georgian Penitentiary Officials Released on GEL 10,000 Bail Each in Prison Violence Case

A Georgian court has ordered former Special Penitentiary Service Director General Giorgi Pataridze and former Gldani Prison Director Ramaz Pirtskhalava to post bail of GEL 10,000 (approximately $3,700) each as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged violence against Davit Peikrishvili.

The decision was announced by Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili, who granted both defendants 20 days to pay the bail amounts.

Pataridze, the former head of Georgia’s Special Penitentiary Service, faces charges of exceeding official authority, while Pirtskhalava, the former director of Penitentiary Institution No. 8, has been charged with abuse of official authority.

The case concerns alleged violence against Davit Peikrishvili and involves a total of seven defendants, including the two former senior prison officials.

Five inmates held at Penitentiary Institution No. 8 have also been charged in connection with the incident. They have been identified as Vato Kipiani, Shota Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, Davit Kacharava and Pavle Gotsiridze.

The proceedings are part of a criminal investigation into the alleged assault and the potential involvement of prison officials.

The charges remain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.