Prosecutor’s Office charges seven individuals, including former Penitentiary Service chief Giorgi Pataridze, over assault on Davit Peikrishvili

Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has brought charges against seven individuals in connection with an assault committed against Davit Peikrishvili inside a cell at Penitentiary Establishment No. 8 of the Special Penitentiary Service.

Speaking at a briefing, Deputy Prosecutor General Amiran Guluashvili announced that charges have been filed against Giorgi Pataridze, former Director General of the Special Penitentiary Service; Ramaz Pirtskhalava, former director of Penitentiary Establishment No. 8; and five inmates held at the facility: Vato Kipiani (also known as Vakhtang Zhvania), Shota Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, Pavle Gotsiridze, and Davit Kacharava.

“As the public is aware, in October 2026, the General Inspection of the Ministry of Justice launched an investigation into violence committed against defendant Davit Peikrishvili at Penitentiary Establishment No. 8. On 25 October 2026, to ensure an objective investigation, the criminal case was transferred to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

An investigation conducted by the Investigative Division of the Prosecutor General’s Office established that on 16 October 2026, defendants detained in connection with the same criminal case, Vato Kipiani, Shota Kipiani, and Avtandil Bilanishvili, were admitted to Penitentiary Establishment No. 8. Before their cell placement, at Vato Kipiani’s request, upon instructions from Special Penitentiary Service Director General Giorgi Pataridze and by decision of Establishment No. 8 Director Ramaz Pirtskhalava, in gross violation of Georgia’s Penitentiary Code and the regulations governing Penitentiary Establishment No. 8, these individuals, along with fellow remand prisoner Davit Kacharava and convicted inmate Pavle Gotsiridze, were placed in Davit Peikrishvili’s cell.

That same day, Vato Kipiani, Shota Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, Davit Kacharava, and Pavle Gotsiridze carried out a group physical assault on Davit Peikrishvili that continued until 20 October 2026. As a result of the violence, Davit Peikrishvili sustained multiple injuries across his body, including fractures of four ribs, fractures of the transverse processes of the spinal vertebrae, and a concussion, classified as less grave bodily harm resulting in prolonged health impairment.

Based on evidence gathered in the criminal case, former Penitentiary Service Director General Giorgi Pataridze has been charged with exceeding official authority, and former Establishment No. 8 Director Ramaz Pirtskhalava has been charged with abuse of official authority. Both offences carry a prison sentence of up to three years.

As for Vato Kipiani, Shota Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, Pavle Gotsiridze, and Davit Kacharava, they have been charged with intentionally inflicting less grave bodily harm as a group against Davit Peikrishvili, an offence punishable by four to six years’ imprisonment,” Guluashvili said.

According to the Deputy Prosecutor General, the Prosecutor’s Office will petition the court within the statutory deadline to impose preventive measures on the defendants. The investigation remains ongoing, and we will provide the public with further updates on its progress and findings.