Prison hunger strike resumes a week after Patriarch intervenes

A number of female inmates in a Tbilisi jail resumed their hunger strike on June 29, a week after ending the protest following intervention from the country’s spiritual leader.

The women are demanding presidential reviews of their cases and better prison conditions.

On June 19 Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II sent a letter to the inmates urging them to end the strike, which started June 7.

His office also sent a letter on the situation to the Justice Ministry, a spokesperson said. Prisoners say this brought no results.

“Nobody has responded to us. We want to turn to the [foreign] diplomatic corps, but don’t know how,” said one striking inmate, whose name is being withheld because she broke prison regulations in speaking to this newspaper.

The head of Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights, Nana Kakabadze, said her NGO has contacted every international organization and embassy in Tbilisi without success.

A spokesperson for the OSCE’s office in Georgia said they have visited the prison and are aware of the situation.

Prison department spokeswoman Salome Makharadze said they do not have the power to review individual cases, and that complaints of poor conditions “make no sense” as the jail has recently been repaired and meets international standards.

The prisoner said 22 inmates resumed the strike yesterday with a further 15 due to join them.

“There are many women who are being detained for committing no crime; there are many mothers here who are simply victims of misunderstandings,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Patriarch said his office regularly sends a priest to consult with the inmates.

The prisoner contacted said her fellow demonstrators are prepared to strike to the end.

“We won’t stop our strike until somebody takes care of us. We have nothing to lose. We would rather die once than spend many years in this prison falsely convicted,” the woman said.

The protest began on June 7 with scores of female prisoners demanding case reviews and better living conditions. Some claim to be political prisoners jailed after speaking out against government moves to confiscate their property.