Georgian Activist Claims Torture in Solitary Confinement Amid Appeal
Nana Sander alleges severe mistreatment and lack of ventilation in her cell, challenging a seven-year sentence related to October 4 protests.
Key points
- Nana Sander claims her solitary confinement cell lacked ventilation, causing health deterioration and requiring her to buy a fan.
- Sander was sentenced to seven years for charges related to the October 4, 2025, protests near the presidential residence.
- The activist has stated she will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights due to a lack of trust in domestic courts.
Civil activist Nana Sander has publicly accused authorities of subjecting her to physical and psychological torture while held in solitary confinement. Speaking before the Court of Appeals, Sander described conditions that she claims have severely deteriorated her health, including a lack of fresh air and extreme heat.
According to Sander, the environment in her cell was deliberately uninhabitable, forcing her to purchase a fan with personal funds to avoid fainting. She asserts that these conditions constitute inhumane treatment and that no officials have been held accountable for the alleged abuses, despite her repeated appeals to oversight bodies.
Allegations of Uninhabitable Detention Conditions
Sander detailed a period of months during which she felt deprived of oxygen and subjected to high temperatures. She stated that medical staff visited but could offer no effective relief, leading her to describe the situation as deliberate torment. The activist emphasized that surveillance footage from the facility could verify the duration of her distress and the physical state of the cell.
The report highlights a broader claim that state agencies, including the General Inspection, have failed to act on evidence of human rights violations. Sander noted that she has documented every interaction and date, asserting that accountability will eventually follow despite the current lack of response from domestic institutions.
Charges Linked to October Protests
The legal proceedings stem from events on October 4, 2025, near the presidential residence in Tbilisi. According to court documents, a group of demonstrators attempted to force entry into the courtyard of the residence, leading to charges of organizing group violence under Article 225 of the Criminal Code.
Sander also faces charges under Article 317 for allegedly calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order. The original sentence imposed by Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili was seven years of imprisonment, a decision Sander describes as lacking evidentiary basis and motivated by political pressure.
Appeal to International Jurisdictions
Expressing a lack of confidence in the domestic judicial system, Sander stated her intention to seek a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. She aims to establish a precedent that protects other individuals from similar treatment, suggesting that domestic courts have failed to uphold basic rights in this case.
According to sovanews.tv, the activist’s testimony underscores a significant tension between the state’s enforcement of public order laws and the protection of individual rights during periods of political unrest. The case draws attention to the conditions of detention and the independence of the judiciary in Georgia.
