The Ministry of Justice Accepts the Public Defender’s Request to Eliminate the Practice of Full Strip Searches of Prisoners

The Ministry of Justice has accepted the request of the Public Defender of Georgia regarding the elimination of the practice of fully stripping prisoners for the purpose of thorough inspection. This information was released by the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia.

According to the statement, the Public Defender welcomes the decision of the Minister of Justice and is submitting a request to the Constitutional Court to terminate the ongoing legal proceedings.

"On February 5, 2025, the Public Defender of Georgia filed a constitutional lawsuit with the Constitutional Court, challenging the provisions of regulations in penitentiary establishments No. 2, No. 3, No. 6, No. 8, No. 11, No. 14, No. 15, No. 16, No. 17, and No. 18, which allowed for the full strip search of inmates during comprehensive inspections. Specifically, under the disputed norms, the accused/convicted individual was required, upon the instruction of an authorized person, to completely undress or expose relevant parts of the body.

It is noteworthy that in its parliamentary reports, the Public Defender had repeatedly addressed the Minister of Justice of Georgia, urging amendments to the regulations of penitentiary institutions in order to eliminate the practice of requiring inmates to simultaneously expose different parts of their bodies during full inspections. Unfortunately, these recommendations had not been implemented until now.

Following the submission of the constitutional claim, in a letter dated June 11, 2025, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia informed the Constitutional Court that, by orders of the Minister of Justice issued on June 10, 2025, changes had been made to the regulations challenged in constitutional claim No. 1851. With the new amendments, the issues raised by the claimant have been fully resolved.

The Public Defender of Georgia welcomes the decision of the Minister of Justice, by which the request to abolish the practice of fully stripping prisoners during inspections was accepted. Accordingly, the Public Defender is requesting the Constitutional Court to terminate the proceedings," the statement reads.