GEORGIA: SHARING INFORMATION WITH OMBUDSMAN'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 001188 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA: SHARING INFORMATION WITH OMBUDSMAN'S OFFICE REF: TBILISI 1056 Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Summary/Comment: In addition to the Embassy-Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA) tracking system (see reftel),post has established a working-level channel with the Ombudsman's Office to exchange information regarding incidents of protest-related violence. Post will continue to update its internal spreadsheet and to follow up with both MoIA and the Ombudsman's Office on a regular basis to obtain a clearer picture of the nature of these incidents and the Government of Georgia's (GoG) response. End Summary/Comment. ¶2. (C) On June 12, Poloff met with Sophio Benashvili, Head of the Division of Freedom and Equality at the Ombudsman's Office, who is primarily responsible for monitoring the ongoing protests in the Ombudsman's Office. Post proposed that the Embassy and the Ombudsman's Office exchange information regarding protest-related incidents on a regular basis. Poloff explained that the Embassy has been tracking and documenting these events and following up with MoIA in order to get a more complete picture of the protest-related violence and the GoG's response. Poloff invited the Ombudsman's office to assist in filling in informational gaps. Benashvili thanked Poloff for Post's nterest and agreed to provide Post with information on a regular basis. She provided Poloff with a chart detailing answers the Ombudsman's Office had received from MoIA regarding investigations into 28 cases (22 of which correspond to cases Post has been tracking). Benashvili noted that although relations between the Ombudsman's Office and MoIA are sometimes difficult, the two offices nonetheless maintain a close working relationship (Embassy Note: The Ombudsman's Office has fallen under consistent criticism for its perceived pro-opposition stance regarding these incidents. End Note.). ¶3. (C) On June 25, Ombudsman Sozar Subari held a press conference to address the diplomatic corps about protest-related incidents that have occurred since April 9, ¶2009. Subari accused MoIA of committing several human rights violations but did not provide specific evidence of such. Subari presented written documentation of protest-related events compiled by his office to the diplomatic corps. Post will compare the new information provided by Subari with our internal spreadsheet and will continue to monitor the situation and follow up with both MoIA and the Ombudsman's Office. TEFFT