GEORGIA: BURJANADZE SUPPORTERS ARRESTED ON WEAPONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000559 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA: BURJANADZE SUPPORTERS ARRESTED ON WEAPONS CHARGES REF: A. TBILISI 502 ¶B. TBILISI 378 ¶C. TBILISI 089 TBILISI 00000559 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary/Comment: At roughly 5am on March 23, a number (roughly six to eight but exact numbers are still unclear) of Nino Burjanadze's supporters were arrested on charges of buying automatic weapons. Burjanadze called the Ambassador to register her outrage and to express concern that she was being targeted by the Government. The Ambassador contacted Foreign Minister Vashadze, Deputy FM Bokeria and Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOIA) Head of the Analyitical Department Shota Utiashvili to ask about the reports. Utiashvili told the Ambassador that the MOIA had incontrovertible evidence that Burjanadze supporters were purchasing illegal arms, namely automatic weapons. Utiashvili said that a press conference would be held at 6pm local time to present its version of events and to present the evidence; Utiashvili confirmed that Burjanadze herself is not a target of an investigation. Burjanadze has contacted Ombudsman Subari with a request for help, and he has scheduled a 5 pm press conference. Post believes it is too early to draw any larger conclusions regarding the arrests, but will continue to follow events. End Summary/Comment. Burjanadze Alleges Arrests Aimed at Her ¶2. (C) An extremely agitated Nino Burjanadze called the Ambassador to express her outrage at the arrest of her supporters on weapons charges. She maintained that those who had been arrested had nothing to do with guns. Burjanadze stated that she had feared such an event based on the GOG's public campaign to discredit her by saying that she was planning violence at the April 9 protest rally. She further stated that she would be calling others in the international community to express her outrage. Burjanadze said her husband's driver had also been arrested on charges of having an automatic weapon at his home. She told the Ambassador that she feared she would be arrested and her house would be searched. She said that if the police came, she would resist and call on the international community to send representatives to her home. Government Says Illegal Weapons Purchased ¶3. (C) After Burjanadze's call, the Ambassador contacted Foreign Minister Vashadze, Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria and MOIA Spokesman Shota Utiashvili to ask about the reports. Utiashvili confirmed to the Ambassador that 6-8 people were arrested for trying to purchase Kalashnikov machine guns (or other automatic weapons) on the Georgian arms market. He said that the Ministry monitors the market carefully and filmed the individuals purchasing automatic weapons. Of those detained, four are members of Burjanadze's youth wing in Ajara and two are former members of the Georgian Border Guards who were dismissed when Badri Bitsadze (Burjanadze's husband and former head of the border guards) was dismissed. (Embassy Note: One of the former border guards was apparently the head of special operations while the other headed the Sedalko border crossing point. End Note.). There are two others who are being investigated, who may have no connection to Burjanadze. ¶4. (C) Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze and Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria confirmed the arrests to the Ambassador. Bokeria told the Ambassador that the government could not ignore this attempt to purchase illegal weapons and that these were "not just Georgians buying hunting rifles." No government could sit by and permit this to happen. QNo government could sit by and permit this to happen. Utiashvili said that there were no senior members of Burjanadze's party arrested and added that there was "no intention of arresting Burjanadze". Dueling Press Conferences ¶5. (C) Burjanadze held a press conference mid-day in Tbilisi to announce that members of the Ajara branch of her party were detained, including the head of the Batumi office. Burjanadze told the press that they have been detained on charges of illegal storage of arms, but neither lawyers nor neighbors were allowed to observe the process of searching their homes and businesses for the weapons. She alleged that the Government might widen the search to include her Tbilisi party headquarters and her own home. At the press conference, Burjanadze's husband Badri Bitsadze told journalists that the Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili "informed me this morning that the President demands my detainment. He advised me to leave Georgia for a month but I am not going anywhere." TBILISI 00000559 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Burjanadze's assistant Thea Gogvadze-Apfel told Poloff that Burjanadze had scheduled a meeting with Ombudsman Sozar Subari and opposition leaders to discuss the arrests. Later, her office called and informed the mission that Subari would hold a 5 pm Tbilisi time press conference to comment on the arrests. Subari's press conference will be followed by the MOIA's press conference at 6 pm during which the Government is expected to provide further details about the arrests and the evidence. TEFFT