Inside ‘degrading’ Georgian prison where British teen could spend the rest of her life
British teenager Bella May Culley, 18, could face a life sentence in one of eastern Europe’s most notorious jails.
The teen was arrested in Georgia on suspicion of smuggling 14 kilos of cannabis into the country days after being reported missing in Thailand.
In another twist, Culley told a court in Tbilisi yesterday that she is pregnant and will now undergo a medical examination.
Culley is currently being held but could face the prospect of calling Tbilisi Prison No.5 her new home.
It is the country’s only female prison, a harsh unit in a state of decay, where prisoners have complained about ‘degrading’ treatment.
Pictures from inside the prison show tiny single bunk beds packed into rooms with a beige interior.
Other pictures show long tables in an artificially lit dining room where prisoners sit down to eat.
The Georgian Public Ombudsman revealed in a 2015 report that when new prisoners enter the prison they are ‘inspected naked and are requested to squat’, something inmates ‘consider degrading treatment’.
The report said: ‘It should be mentioned that such inspections take place every time an accused/convicted person enters or leaves the penitentiary facility.
‘According to inmates, this procedure is especially humiliating and intensive during an inmate’s menstrual cycle.
‘In some cases, because of the nature of such procedures, inmates refuse services offered outside of the facility or choose to miss court hearings.’
The report then added that the prison should adopt non-invasive searches such as scanning to avoid psychological or physical consequences.
According to the report, running water is cold, unsuitable for drinking and in bathrooms there are single floor drains which cause dirty water to pool on the floor.
Prisoners stand on concrete when showering, that are separated by rusting metal walls and opposite one another so lack privacy.
It mentions that cells for prisoners with life sentences are damp and prisoners ask to be housed in normal conditions.
It also highlighted problems with transportation to and from the prison for women and mothers and said: ‘The vehicle is described as cold, smelling, unpleasant and with water leaking from the roof.
‘During transit, inmates have to maintain their balance on long benches while holding their children. After such trips they described feeling pain in the small of their backs and in their muscles.
‘According to standard rules for the treatment of prisoners, transportation of prisoners in conditions of insufficient ventilation, or light, or in other poor conditions is prohibited.’
Another report by the Human Rights Watch in 2006 found the prison to be ‘severely overcrowded’ while the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) called conditions ‘degrading’ and ‘inhuman and constitute ‘an affront to a civilised society’ that same year.
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