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DE RUEHSI #0537/01 0791407
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201407Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1225
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000537 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHM KDEM GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: MINISTER OF CORRECTIONS INFORMS DIPCORP 
OF PLANNED REFORMS 
 
REF: A. TBILISI 0453 
     ¶B. TBILISI 0470 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary: Minister of Corrections and Legal 
Assistance (MCLA) Dimitry Shashkin briefed the diplomatic 
corps March 18 on his ministry's current status and future 
plans.  Shashkin addressed both corrections and democratic 
reforms, as he did with the Ambassador during a previous 
meeting (ref A and B).  Shashkin appealed to the 
international community for assistance in helping his 
ministry move toward European standards.  He distributed a 
list of current corrections and legal assistance 
needs/deficiencies to the group (faxed to EUR/CARC and INL). 
On democratic reforms, Shashkin said that forming commissions 
to ensure Georgia's democratic progress is a priority.  Media 
freedom is the first priority, followed by property rights' 
guarantees, justice and court reform, and penitentiary 
reform.  The Ambassador, along with participating EU and COE 
ambassadors, agreed that they would look over the list, 
examine current assistance programs, and meet soon to discuss 
possible assistance and coordination in response to Minister 
Shashkin's request.  End Summary. 
 
NEW MINISTRY HAS BIG GOALS... 
 
¶2. (SBU) After introducing his new Chief of Probation, 
Teimuraz Iobidze, Shashkin addressed corrections issues.  He 
explained the ministry has approximately 100 staff at the 
ministry itself, with 4,500 total staff (including guards and 
probation officers), 19,000 prison inmates, and an estimated 
23,000 convicts on probation.  The Minister acknowledged that 
Georgia's penal system is far from European standards, but he 
intends to reform the system in this direction.  Shashkin 
estimated he needs USD 127 million to bring the system up to 
western standards.  For 2009, his budget is GEL 27 million 
(USD 16.3 million).  Shashkin said that he wants to 
incorporate crime prevention efforts into his reforms, and 
revising the probation system is his first task.  Shashkin 
said his ministry is also working to address healthcare, 
women and juvenile inmate issues, education, and job training 
(by placing workshops in prisons). 
 
...BUT NEEDS HELP 
 
¶3. (SBU) Shashkin appealed to the group for cooperation and 
communication.  He welcomed inquiries from the international 
community and NGOs.  Shashkin said any complaints will be 
investigated immediately by his deputy and the MCLA's 
inspector general.  Shashkin said the MCLA will hold an open 
house on April 23 at Gldani Prison #8, and invited the group 
to attend.  The Minister distributed a list of "Needs and 
Priority Areas for 2009" to the group.  It includes staff 
development, capacity building, improvement of prisons and 
the penitentiary system, and strengthening of the probation 
service and legal assistance bureau. 
 
DEMOCRATIC REFORMS, MEDIA FIRST 
 
¶4. (SBU) As the designated GOG lead for the "second wave of 
democratic reforms," Shashkin told the group that his first 
special commission (ref B) will address media freedom.  He 
said the government does not believe that "they have solved 
the problem," even though there are now eight talk shows on 
national TV.  Shashkin further said that President 
Saakashvili "does not want to be criticized for media 
freedom."  (Note: Post will report on the media situation 
septel.  End note.)  Shashkin appealed to the group again for 
assistance.  He said he wants to sponsor a roundtable to 
ascertain international measures/indicators of media freedom 
that can be applied in Georgia to ensure media freedom. 
Shashkin lamented that the OSCE is likely leaving, as the 
country "needs a free and fair mediator," and they perhaps 
Qcountry "needs a free and fair mediator," and they perhaps 
could have assisted in this effort.  The Ambassador noted 
that the U.S. and the EU had supported the "Michnik Group" 
which was established before the 2008 presidential election 
to address this same issue.  Unfortunately, the group 
withered away after the election. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Shashkin said additional democratic reforms would 
follow.  In order of likely sequence, he noted private 
property guarantees, justice/court reform, and then 
prison/penitentiary reform.  Shashkin said he is working with 
Parliament on ensuring private property rights, and pledged 
that the country would have a new trial system by 2010.  He 
said a new penitentiary code would be in place by 2010, and 
that an NGO representative would be added to the current 
six-member probation/parole commission.  (Note: Shashkin did 
not address reports of sentence commutations that were 
granted in November that halved the prison time for four 
 
TBILISI 00000537  002 OF 002 
 
 
former Ministry of Internal Affairs employees who were found 
guilty of murdering Sandro Girgvliani in 2006.  End note.) 
Shashkin said he is working with the Public Defender's 
Office, and hopes that he can increase coordination and 
cooperation with the MCLA. 
 
AMBASSADORS RESPOND 
 
¶6. (SBU) The ambassadors welcomed Shashkin's briefing and 
promised to look at his requests for assistance.  They noted 
that many ongoing programs currently exist.  The EU said they 
currently are spending 23 million Euro on justice reforms in 
Georgia.  The ambassadors suggested some ongoing programs 
could be modified to include some of the new requests as 
well.  The OSCE representative noted that even if the OSCE 
mission in Georgia is closed, the OSCE will continue to work 
with the GOG.  In response to a question about election code 
reform, Shashkin noted that this is now up to Parliament, but 
that the GOG is committed to democratic reforms.  The 
Ambassador suggested that the international donor community 
(including USAID, COE, and the EU/EC) could review the 
requests together and then meet with Shashkin to discuss 
assistance in greater etail. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment: As the former head of the International 
Republican Institute in Georgia, Shaskhin is publicly 
committed to making progress on implementing President 
Saakashvili's promised second wave of democratic reforms. 
The government understands the importance of showing the 
international community that it is taking democratic reform 
seriously.  In addition, it appears the government is making 
a concerted push on democratic reforms ahead of the planned 
April 9 protests in order to demonstrate this commitment to 
the Georgian public. 
TEFFT