During the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Givi Mikanadze, the chair of the Education, Science, and Youth Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, delivered a speech as the sub-committee chair for ECHR judgment implementation. He has been elected to this position for the second term.

Mikanadze emphasized achievements in Georgia’s penitentiary system, noting improvements in medical services and the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

“The CPT in 2018 noted further improvements in prison access to both primary and secondary health care, as well as further significant improvements in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, and hepatitis in all prisons.

As regards to what has been said by my colleague, last week on the 18th of January, the CPT published its ad hoc visit report on the human rights situation in the civil hospital, which was named by my colleague as not providing adequate medical treatment.

The delegation, I’m citing from this report, heard no allegations of all treatment of patient by staff working on the three secure wards of the clinic. The atmosphere appeared to be relaxed and several patients spoke positively of both the healthcare and custodial staff material conditions in the secure part of the clinic where on the whole adequate as could indeed be expected from a healthcare facility,” Mikanadze stated.

He responded to criticism from UNM member Levan Bezhashvili regarding Saakashvili’s treatment, highlighting that significant improvements have occurred in the penitentiary system since 2013, contrasting it with the conditions during Saakashvili’s presidency.

“Since 2013, when government has changed in Georgia. We have achieved really significant improvements in the penitentiary system of the country.

My colleague, few minutes ago, has been defining a case of Saakashvili, former president, who created a system of torture and inhuman, degrading treatment in prisons. And I can give you some figures which are officially known worldwide that in 2012, when he was a president, the number of prisoners were 25, 000 with 3. 7 million population, which amounted to 676 prisoners per 100, 000 inhabitants. It was top one in Europe and in top five in the world. And Georgia during 2006-2012, during his presidency, has lost 40 cases on the basis of the applications of the prisoners on the breach of the Article 3 of the European Convention,” he stated.