The ex-prisoner disputes the fact of discrimination due to worldview

On March 18, the Tbilisi City Court will open an oral hearing on the discrimination case due to worldview.

The plaintiff is a vegan and consumes vegetable proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In 2019, he was placed in the N8 Special Penitentiary Establishment. Upon arrival at the prison, he informed the administration about this and asked for a special food ration. Despite the request, he was not provided with the necessary food because, according to the administration, they had neither special food for vegans nor a cook who would prepare vegan food. At the same time, vegan products were not available at the local store. As a result, the prisoner was able to receive only a small portion of the food offered by the administration and had to eat much less food than the norm all the time. Since the plaintiff could not receive special food for a certain period of time, he encountered health problems.

The plaintiff argues that during his entire stay in the penitentiary institution, he was a victim of discrimination by the administration on the grounds of worldview, in particular, veganism, for which he seeks to establish the fact of discrimination and compensation for moral damages. The defendants in this case are the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, the Special Penitentiary Service and the Special Penitentiary Establishment N8.

GYLA represents the interests of the plaintiff in court. If the claim is upheld, it will be possible not only to restore the plaintiff's violated rights directly, but also the decision may become a basis for reviewing the regulations related to food in penitentiary institutions.

The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association is conducting the litigation of the case with the support of USAID/ PROLoG.