The Special Penitentiary Service issues a statement and denies the information spread in the media that the accused Eva Shashiashvili is being held in inhuman conditions in the Penitentiary Institution N5.

As stated in the statement of the Penitentiary Service, “The cell of the accused Eva Shashiashvili has an individual shower, the accused is under 24-hour electronic surveillance, and for security purposes, she does not have the right to use a seat belt in accordance with the rules established by law.”

As for the polyethylene bag mentioned in the information spread in the media, according to the Penitentiary Service, Eva Shashiashvili does not have it in her cell at all.

“The Special Penitentiary Service responds to the information disseminated by the media regarding the condition of the accused Eva Shasviashvili in the Penitentiary Institution N5.

According to the false and unverified information disseminated by them, the accused Eva Shasviashvili is being held in inhumane conditions, she has no shoes, uses a polyethylene bag as a waistband, and is not provided with the means to maintain personal hygiene.

In order to inform the public, we would like to clarify that in accordance with the rules established by the Penitentiary Code, if the accused/convict does not have personal clothing/shoes and/or other personal items necessary for hygiene, the penitentiary institution shall provide him/her with special clothing/shoes suitable for the season and/or other personal items necessary for hygiene, the form of which shall not detract from human dignity.

In the Penitentiary Institution N5, like in all other penitentiary institutions of the Special Penitentiary Service, each accused/convict is provided with the opportunity to take a shower.

The cell of the accused Eva Shasviashvili has an individual shower, she has the opportunity to take a shower at any time of the day without restrictions, according to her wish, the accused is under 24-hour electronic surveillance, for security purposes, she does not have the right to use a belt in accordance with the rules established by law, and Eva Shasviashvili does not have the polyethylene bag, which is mentioned in the information disseminated in the media, in her cell at all.

It is also worth noting that the accused did not apply to the penitentiary institution with a request to provide clothes or shoes, and the institution did not consider it necessary to offer her additional clothes or shoes. The accused is entitled to receive, without hindrance, any clothing and footwear of her choice as a parcel, as permitted by law.

The Special Penitentiary Service, upon request of the accused Eva Shasviashvili or a person authorized by her, will ensure the archiving and publication of the record resulting from the surveillance.

The accused Eva Shasviashvili is provided with all necessary hygiene measures by the N5 Penitentiary Institution; upon request of the accused, the institution will additionally provide him/her with clothing/footwear appropriate for the season.

The Special Penitentiary Service further clarifies once again that each person in the penitentiary institution is in conditions that are in full compliance with both local and international standards and do not in any way violate his/her honor and dignity.

The Special Penitentiary Service strictly calls on politically interested television companies and information media to refrain from spreading such slanderous information," the Special Penitentiary Service said in a statement.

For information, lawyer Tamuna Iarajuli posted on social media that Eva Shashiashvili, who was detained on October 6, was visited by lawyer Mariam Khachapuridze and stated that she was being held in substandard conditions.

As Iarajuli writes, Eva Shashiashvili "is wearing clothes that are too big for her and small shoes that are cut off due to its small size and have her toes sticking out, and she is also wearing pants that are fastened with cellophane bags as a waistband and she is not allowed to wash herself."