Special Penitentiary Service releases footage of inmate Giorgi Davitadze’s transfer and stay in a de-escalation cell on 21 December 2025

The Special Penitentiary Service released CCTV footage showing how convict Giorgi Davitadze was transferred to a de-escalation cell and his subsequent stay there on 21 December 2025.

According to the Service, the decision to publish the video footage was prompted by intense public interest, the sensitive nature of the case, and an allegedly deliberate campaign by the inmate’s family to defame the agency.

“In light of high public interest, the Special Penitentiary Service is releasing CCTV footage capturing the transfer of convict Giorgi Davitadze to a de-escalation cell and his stay there on 21 December 2025, the period during which the inmate alleges he was subjected to sexual violence, a claim that is a complete fabrication,” the agency stated.

“We wish to clarify the mandatory protocol for placing an inmate in a de-escalation room. Under the Prison Code and internal facility regulations, any inmate transferred to a de-escalation cell must undergo a security search. Convict Davitadze flatly refused to comply and began verbally abusing staff members. As seen in the footage, officers only then carried out a mandatory non-consensual search using an electronic wand/detector to fulfil their statutory duties.'”

“We previously withheld this footage for one reason only: an official investigation is underway, and we did not want our actions to be construed as an attempt to exert pressure on the proceedings. However, given the intense public interest, the sensitivity of the matter, and the ongoing, deliberate attempts by the inmate’s family to smear the agency, the Penitentiary Service decided to publish,” the statement continued.

“Furthermore, as the Director General of the Special Penitentiary Service, Giorgi Pataridze, noted in his statement on 23 September, continuous CCTV footage documenting all movements of convict Giorgi Davitadze within the facility from 3 March 2026 to date has been archived by his order. The Special Penitentiary Service stands ready to hand over these materials to any interested party in accordance with statutory procedures,” the agency added.

Earlier today, before releasing the video, the Special Penitentiary Service issued a preliminary statement regarding Giorgi Davitadze, categorically denying claims that staff members at Penitentiary Facility No. 6 had subjected him to sexual violence.