The Special Penitentiary Service has issued a statement regarding the limit on placement of prisoners in Penitentiary Institution No. 15.

As stated in the statement, an inaccuracy was made when calculating the living space in Penitentiary Institution No. 15, as a result of which the limit on placement of convicts was incorrectly determined at 1,388 convicts, despite the fact that, in reality, taking into account the standards established by law, it was possible to place 216 more convicts in this institution.

“The Special Penitentiary Service responds to the incorrect information spread by one of the media outlets, as if, based on the order of the Minister of Justice, Paata Salia, the limit for placing prisoners in Penitentiary Institution No. 15 was increased “to cover prison overcrowding.”

For the purpose of informing the public, we would like to clarify that an inaccuracy was made when calculating the living space in Penitentiary Institution No. 15, as a result of which, by the amendment made on August 15, 2016 to the Order of the Minister of Penitentiary and Probation of Georgia dated August 27, 2015 “On Penitentiary Institutions of the Ministry of Corrections and Probation of Georgia”, the limit for the placement of convicts was determined incorrectly – 1,388 convicts, despite the fact that, in reality, taking into account the standards established by the legislation, it was possible to place 216 more convicts in this institution.

The limit for the placement of convicts in Penitentiary Institution No. 15 was reflected in the Order No. 1178 of the Minister of Justice of Georgia dated January 21, 2026 “On Determining the Maximum Permissible Number of Accused/Convicted Persons to be Placed in Penitentiary Institutions and Penitentiary Institutions”, the purpose of which was to reissue existing subordinate legislation based on the Penitentiary Code by the Minister of Justice of Georgia.

The Special Penitentiary Service, based on a secret contract concluded with a private company with relevant experience in accordance with the procedure established by law (since the work was to be carried out in the penitentiary institution), re-measured the living space in Penitentiary Institution No. 15, after which it was determined that it was possible, in full compliance with the standards stipulated by law, to set the maximum limit for the placement of convicts in Penitentiary Institution No. 15 at 1,604 convicts instead of 1,388.

It is noteworthy that in June of this year, during a meeting with Alain Mitchell, President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), in Georgia, the Director General of the Special Penitentiary Service, Giorgi Pataridze, raised the issue of correcting the limit on the incorrect placement of convicts in the Ksani Penitentiary Institution. The condition for resolving this issue has already been fulfilled today. Accordingly, the information disseminated in the media is an attempt to mislead the public and serves to discredit the activities of the Penitentiary Service.

The Special Penitentiary Service calls on media outlets to share only verified information regarding the conditions in the institution,” reads the statement.