OHCHR upset over Georgia prison video

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GENEVA, Switzerland, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- A U.N. human rights office described abuses shown in a recent video from Georgia as shocking, adding a comprehensive response was needed from Tbilisi.

A video broadcast in Georgia depicted prison authorities at the Gldani prison sexually abusing inmates.

The U.N. Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement expressing outrage over the video.

"We call on the government to ensure that all allegations of such human rights violations, and not only the ones exposed in these videos, are promptly, impartially and effectively investigated and that perpetrators are brought to justice," said OHCHR spokesman Rupert Colville in a statement.

The Interior Ministry in Georgia issued a statement Tuesday saying it launched an investigation into the allegations of abuse. Some officials in the government have since resigned, or offered to resign, and prison authorities were arrested after thousands of people took to the streets to protest the abuses.

Colville said the action take so far by the government was a welcome step but more was needed to address the abuses.

"We urge the government to ensure that their pledges are swiftly translated into effective and transparent action with significant steps undertaken to ensure that prisons and detention centers are managed in line with international human rights law and standards," he said.