Georgian prison torture videos and their socio-political consequences

Prison torture videos disseminated in Georgia in September 2012 were significant to Georgian people, because they uncovered negligence of officials and abuse of basic human rights of protection. People protested the system, which was unable to prevent the violence, and moreover, was implementer of brutal harassment of inmates. Immediate protest rallies were scheduled online, without any political leader. Social media and primarily Facebook served as the platform for expressing indignation stimulated by the case. Young Georgians were active and uncompromising, being on the foreground of the events. I decided to study the impact of the videos and its online exposure, and gain deeper insight regarding the influence of social media on political attitudes and engagement on young Georgians. By monitoring and analyzing Facebook groups created in response to violent footages, as well as Youtube comments to the videos and nine semi-structured interviews, this study examines the capacity of the case to alter political position and activism of young Georgians, while addressing their motivations for political activism.