An inmate at Georgia’s Gldani Prison, Davit Peikrishvili, has been hospitalised twice over a span of two days, with his lawyer alleging that fellow inmates beat him. The inmate has accused several people of attacking him, including one person who was placed under investigation for allegedly trying to kill Peikrishvili and his brother.
The allegations come amid renewed scrutiny of abuse in Georgia’s prison system following the case of Giorgi Davitadze, who claimed that prison staff raped and humiliated him in a prison de-escalation room in December 2025.
On Tuesday, the Justice Ministry General Inspection Investigation Department launched a criminal investigation into reports that Davit Peikrishvili had been assaulted.
Peikrishvili was hospitalised at Vivamedi in Tbilisi on Monday, released, and then returned to the clinic again the following day. The clinic’s director, Zurab Chkhaidze, told OC Media that Peikrishvili had wounds on his upper limbs.
‘He underwent initial surgical treatment of the wounds and is currently receiving inpatient treatment at the clinic’, said Chkhaidze.
Peikrishvili’s lawyer, Paata Gogiashvili, claims that his client was beaten on 16 October by Vato Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, also known as ‘Katsro’, Shota Kipiani, and other inmates. He previously said Peikrishvili had broken ribs and facial bones, as well as bruising to his head.
The lawyer and Peikrishvili’s mother, Nino Abramishvili, claim the men demanded the passcode to Peikrishvili’s mobile phone. He also said Peikrishvili’s twin brother, Giorgi Peikrishvili, injured himself on Monday.
‘They want the brothers to give them the iCloud passcode for their phones so they can unlock them. It seems the investigation has been unable to crack these codes. The detainees also offered this explanation: they were placed in the same cell as the Peikrishvili brothers to obtain specific information about the passcodes and pass it on to people outside. They are interested in the information stored on the phones, which they have been unable to unlock’, Gogishvili told TV Pirveli.
The Public Defender’s Office said that it received a report concerning the alleged ‘ill-treatment’ of Peikrishvili at Gldani Prison on 19 October at 16:31, along with a request to visit him.
The agency added that its representative visited the prison the same day, but Peikrishvili refused to meet with them. It said the refusal was documented in an official record signed by the prisoner.
The Special Penitentiary Service denies that Peikrishvili was assaulted. It says that on Tuesday, while being taken to meet his lawyer, he broke a window and threatened to harm himself with a piece of glass. The service also says he wanted to meet his brother, but because the brothers are accused in the same criminal case, prison rules prevent the brothers from meeting.
Marika Pkhakadze, who legally represents Vato Kipiani, one of the inmates Peikrishvili accuses of attacking him, has denied the assault allegations. She told TV Formula that Kipiani did not share a cell with Peikrishvili and that she expects the allegations to be investigated.
OC Media has asked the Special Penitentiary Service whether it would release the full, unedited CCTV footage from the prison corridor to clarify whether Kipiani was held in the same cell as Peikrishvili. The service responded that no decision had been made at this stage and that it would inform OC Media if it decides to release the footage.
Vato Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, known as ‘Katsro’, and Shota Kipiani were arrested in mid-October in connection with a fight at a restaurant, and Kipiani and the Peikrishvili brothers have a long history of conflict. In 2020, Georgian authorities accused Kipiani of planning to kill the brothers. His lawyer later said he was released after nine months in detention because the court did not establish his guilt in the alleged plot.
Davit and Giorgi Peikrishvili were arrested in September in separate cases involving alleged group violence and extortion. In October, the Prosecutor General’s Office brought additional charges against the brothers, accusing them of laundering approximately ₾10 million ($4.9 million) in illicit funds between 2020 and 2026. If convicted, they face up to 12 years in prison.