Georgia ends controversial prison strip searches following Ombudsman's legal challenge

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia has officially ended the practice of fully stripping prisoners during body searches, following a constitutional complaint filed by the Public Defender earlier this year.

In a statement on Friday, the Public Defender of Georgia announced that the Ministry of Justice had amended internal regulations governing several penitentiary institutions, aligning them with human rights standards and eliminating the controversial practice. The move comes after years of appeals by the Public Defender, whose previous recommendations had gone unheeded.

On February 5, 2025, the Public Defender filed a constitutional claim with the Constitutional Court, challenging rules that allowed complete stripping of inmates during full examinations in at least ten prisons across the country. The complaint targeted the procedures at institutions No. 2, No. 3, No. 6, No. 8, No. 11, No. 14, No. 15, No. 16, No. 17, and No. 18, which, under disputed norms, required inmates to undress entirely or expose specific body parts upon instruction, the Public Defender’s Office said.

The Justice Ministry responded on June 11, notifying the Constitutional Court that it had adopted changes to the challenged provisions a day earlier - on June 10 - through Ministerial Order No. 1851. According to the ministry, the new regulations fully address the concerns raised in the constitutional complaint.

The Public Defender welcomed the decision and confirmed that a request has now been submitted to the Constitutional Court to terminate the proceedings, as the underlying issue has been resolved.

“This is a significant step toward ensuring the dignity and human rights of prisoners in Georgia,” the Public Defender’s Office said.