Georgian Inmates Sew Mouths Shut In Protest, As Relatives Attack Prison

At least 15 prison inmates in the central Georgian town of Ksani have sewn their mouths shut to protest what they say are rights abuses by the prison administration.

Several dozen of the inmates' relatives attempted to forcibly enter the penitentiary grounds late on November 4.

The guards managed to stop them, though one prison guard was severely beaten by the attackers and hospitalized.

Georgian human rights activist Georgy Lordkipanidze was allowed to visit the prison.

He told journalists on November 5 that the inmates demanded the prison administration be changed, saying that the current administration was too "cruel" toward them.

Similar protests by inmates and their relatives in the southeastern city of Rustavi ended with a change of the prison's administration last week.