TBILISI. Oct 14 (Interfax) - Georgia's Special Penitentiary Service has denied reports that there was a riot in the prison No. 17 in the town of Rustavi after a fire broke out in its canteen this afternoon.
"Allegations are being spread that there was a riot at the Rustavi penitentiary facility No. 17 and the inmates locked out the security staff. This is a complete lie and part of the sleazy disinformation campaign aimed at attacking government institutions and misleading the public," the service stated on Thursday evening.
The situation inside the prison is under the joint control of the justice minister and the head of the penitentiary service, it said.
"Because of the fire, which is now nearly contained, power supply to the facility has been cut for fire safety reasons. Once the supply of electricity resumes, all inmates will be allowed to contact their relatives," the Service said, also asking everyone to refrain from spreading unverified information.
Earlier Georgian media reported that a fire had erupted in the prison No. 17, causing heavy smoke. At the same time, there were no reports about injured staff or inmates.
The prison is not far from the prison No. 12 where Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili is detained.
Saakashvilil, who is now a Ukrainian citizen, secretly arrived in Georgia on September 29. On October 1 he was arrested in Tbilisi. He is held in a solitary cell. In Georgia Saakashvili is a subject of several criminal investigations.