The Largest Jailbreak, 100 on Run

129 convicts, described by the authorities as “dangerous,” escaped late on September 10 from the Rustavi top security prison near Tbilisi, killing one prison guard; another was badly injured.

The largest jailbreak in Georgia’s history is a major blow to the penitentiary system and the reforms carried out in the system couple of years ago.

Reports say the prisoners blasted a whole in the prison’s wall to escape. The law enforcers are on high alert. The police blocked all roads in and out of a Rustavi town. 48 jailbreakers are recaptured so far. One of the fugitives was brought back to prison by his parents shortly after the jailbreak on September 10.

The police called on the residents of Rustavi to be cautious, as jailbreakers are “extremely dangerous.” Most of them were sentenced for 15-20 years of imprisonment.

Although the leadership of the penitentiary system, which is subordinated to the Justice Ministry, has been replaced for two times already this year, number of breakouts did not decrease. As the Penitentiary Department reports, during the last 4 months, until this recent jailbreak, total 49 prisoners have escaped in 6 attempts.

Officials, as well as the experts, say poor conditions, insufficient funding, small salaries of the guardsmen in the prisons and high levels of corruption in the penitentiary system are the reasons of the recently increased jailbreaks in Georgia.

“Conditions in the prisons are extremely terrible; salaries for the guard are very low. Thus, I do not rule out that the breakouts will continue,” Roland Giligashvili, the Justice Minister, told reporters on September 11.

Recently, due to lack of finances several trials were postponed; the guard could not carry the suspects to the court buildings from the pre-trial detention centers because of not having enough fuel.

Some experts do not rule out that the situation in the penitentiary system is deliberately worsening, aiming at transformation of the system back to the Interior Ministry.

“These are the processes, which are guided not only from within the penitentiary system, for jailbreaks of this scale do not happen upon a decision of couple of prisoners, or with assistance of couple of guardsmen. This was a thoroughly planned process,” Nana Kakabadze, representative of the Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights NGO, told Civil Georgia.

The penitentiary system was transformed to the Justice Ministry in 2001, as a result of the reforms carried out by the then Justice Minister Mikheil Saakashvili, who is the leader of one of the leading opposition parties at the moment.

President Shevardnadze blamed reforms for increased jailbreaks. “The penitential system has separated from the Interior Ministry hastily. Although in several countries this structure returned back under the Interior Ministry subordination, but in our case this is already late,” Eduard President said on June 30.

State Minister Avtandil Jorbenadze did not rule out on September 11 that the Justice Minister might resign following the mass jailbreak. However General Prosecutor Nugzar Gabrichidze expressed doubt that it would not improve the situation.

“The leadership of the penitentiary system was changed for several times this year, but the situation has not been changed,” Gabrichidze told reporters on September 11.