Kobakhidze: Every Person Has the Same Inherent Dignity, Regardless of Whether They Are a Prisoner or a Professor

Every person has the same inherent dignity, regardless of whether they are a prisoner, a convicted offender, a professor or a member of any other profession, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said during an appearance on Open Air, a programme aired by Georgia’s Imedi TV.

Kobakhidze said there had been no confirmed cases of torture or inhuman treatment in Georgia’s prisons since 2012, contrasting the situation with the period before that year, when he said there had been hundreds or thousands of such cases.

Referring to allegations concerning conditions in prisons, the prime minister said claims about specific cases should be supported by evidence.

“When I spoke about what was happening before 2012, there was extensive evidence of specific crimes committed both inside and outside prisons by representatives of the regime. When you speak about specific cases, you must also have evidence that a crime was actually committed by representatives of law enforcement agencies,” Kobakhidze said.

“I do not think you have such evidence, because such evidence does not exist,” he added.

Kobakhidze said individuals had the right to seek justice if they suspected wrongdoing, but argued that suspicions alone did not constitute proof that a crime had taken place.

“Believe me, if a crime had been committed and we had evidence of it, the person or persons responsible would certainly have been punished,” he said.

“I was speaking about conditions and crimes in prisons before 2012. Since 2012, there has not been a single confirmed case of torture or inhuman treatment, whereas before that there were hundreds and thousands of cases cases supported by evidence, including findings established by the Strasbourg Court,” Kobakhidze said.

The prime minister said the government’s approach to human dignity represented what he described as a fundamental difference between the current authorities and the government in power before 2012.

“The regime at the time believed that everyone guilty or innocent could be subjected to anything. That was the standard. Our standard is different. For us, whether a person is a prisoner, a convicted offender, a professor or someone engaged in any other profession or activity, everyone is equal. Everyone has the same dignity. This is the fundamental difference between our government and the regime of that time,” Kobakhidze said.