12 September 2012: Georgia prison protests

On this day, 12 September 2012 (content note: sexual violence), TV channels broadcast video showing systemic torture and sexual assault of inmates in the Gldani prison number eight in Tbilisi, Georgia, resulting in mass protests. Thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi that night, while friends and relatives of those imprisoned headed to the prison. Protests also erupted in other cities like Batumi, Gori, Katisi and Poti. The government quickly issued an apology, and the interior and penitentiary ministers resigned, but protests continued, despite the Georgian Dream opposition movement urging protests to stop. The following month, the ruling party lost the election to Georgian Dream, who had agreed to improve the penal system. By the following year, 48 mostly low-ranking prison officials had been prosecuted, and a mass amnesty released half of the country's 24,000 prisoners. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8443/georgia-torture-protests Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory. See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today Browse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date Check out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.com Check out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History