Members of the temporary parliamentary investigative commission, tasked with examining the activities of the 2003-2012 regime and its political officials affiliated with political parties from 2003 to the present, visited the quarantine zones, solitary confinement cells, and prisoner residential buildings of the former Khoni Penitentiary Institution No. 13, operational between 2003 and 2012.

According to the chairwoman of the commission, Tea Tsulukiani, Khoni Penitentiary Institution No. 13 stands as a symbol of Saakashvili’s rule.

“Khoni Prison No. 13 stands as a stark symbol of Saakashvili’s rule. Our forthcoming conclusion will unequivocally establish that Saakashvili was not a builder or guardian of the Georgian state but a heretic who subjected prisoners in these cells to inhumane treatment,” declared Tea Tsulukiani, speaking to journalists in Khoni.

Tsulukiani reiterated that the commission’s findings would confirm Saakashvili’s failure as a builder of the nation, emphasizing his role as a heretic who inflicted inhuman conditions and torture upon prisoners.

“The Khoni correctional facility remains the only place in Georgia where the so-called Saakashvili cell block has been preserved in its original state, untouched since 2007–2009. As our investigation targets systemic crimes within the correctional system of that period, it was essential for us to witness this firsthand,” she added.

Commission Secretary Sozar Subari noted that the conditions observed at Khoni were indicative of systemic issues across other correctional facilities as well.

“Overcrowding was rampant—sometimes five, six, or even ten prisoners housed where only two should have been. When cells became too crowded, inmates were placed in the tents in the yard. This was common not only in Khoni but also in Geguti, Rustavi, and Ksani. Interestingly, Khoni’s regime was relatively lighter—while torture and daily beatings were widespread elsewhere, this facility was somewhat less brutal, and prisoners often preferred to be transferred here,” Subari explained.

He highlighted that, according to Council of Europe standards, each prisoner should have at least four square meters of space—a requirement that was routinely violated.

“Adding beatings, torture, and lengthy sentences—sometimes 15-20 years for minor crimes—creates unimaginable conditions. At the time, Georgia’s prisons held approximately 24,500 inmates, though the infrastructure was designed for only about 10,000,” Subari elaborated.

He added that “many left sick, their health permanently damaged. The conditions led to a high death toll and an alarming spread of tuberculosis. In cells where air circulation was nonexistent, infected and healthy prisoners were housed together, facilitating the rapid spread of disease—a deliberate act meant to break them.”