Gldani prison scandal

The Gldani prison scandal was a political scandal in the country of Georgia involving the recorded abuse of inmates in the Georgian prison system. The videos detailed abuse similar to the Abu Ghraib scandal. The scandal was unique in Georgian history in that it was initially shared and discussed on social media, before the story began to appear on Georgia's largely pro-government television channels. Besides the images of stark physical abuse - which included the use of broomsticks and lit cigarettes - the videos displayed abused perceived as having implications related to homosexuality, which is a largely taboo subject in Georgia's ultra-conservative religious culture.

The scandal is widely viewed as a turning point in Georgia's post-Soviet evolution. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia was world renowned for having an extraordinarily high level of crime. Much of Mikheil Saakashvili's popularity was due in large part to his government's reforming of Georgia's law enforcement agencies, which had previously been perceived as having been under the control of drug and contraband smuggling criminal networks. While Saakashvili's reforms dramatically reduce crime rates, it also resulted in large numbers of young men being incarcerated. This was a change from both the late Soviet and Shevardnadze eras, when criminals could easily bribe their way out of prison. The Gldani prison scandal is widely believed to have resulted in Saakashvili's party losing power and in subsequent efforts to reform portions of the criminal justice system.

On 18 September 2012, after days of rumors on social media, Georgian national TV channels began broadcasting several video recordings of torture and rape in Gldani Prison in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. The highly controversial video footage resulted in orchestrated rallies in cities such as Tbilisi, Batumi, Poti, Kutaisi and Gori. Upset by images of graphic prisoner abuse, protestors demanded justice and promised to continue their protests. Later that night Khatuna Kalmakhelidze fired David Chakua, the Chairman of the Penitentiary Department. Several days later, Kalmakhelidze herself resigned.

Several persons suspected of inhumane treatment of prison inmates were detained and later convicted as a result of an investigation into the case.

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