VZCZCXRO9543
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHYE #0691/01 1500738
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 300738Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY YEREVAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5676
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1266
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHDC 0062
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0362

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000691 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, DRL AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM KWMN KCRM HSTC AM
SUBJECT: CDA'S LUNCH WITH DEPUTY PG AND ANTI-TIP WORKERS 
 
REF: A) YEREVAN 649 B) YEREVAN 661 
 
YEREVAN 00000691  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: CDA A. F. Godfrey for reasons 1.4 (b, d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) We gathered together post's most reliable anti-TIP 
interlocutors in the Armenian government for a May 29 lunch 
at the CDA's residence.  The guest list included Deputy 
Prosecutor General Gevorg Danielyan and two other members of 
the PG's staff, as well as the heads of the MFA's 
International Organizations and Americas Departments.  Topics 
of discussion included not just TIP, but also new reforms in 
the PG's office,  the case of deceased 
businessman Levon Ghulyan (ref A), and a brief discussion of 
the status of election fraud cases.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
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¶2. (C) Our primary goal for this luncheon was to thank our 
guests for their strong efforts to fight trafficking over the 
past year, particularly in light of an imminent TIP ranking 
that will likely fall short of their hopes; with an eye 
toward sustaining our partners' energy and commitment.  CDA 
emphasized the fact that everyone agrees there is more work 
to be done, but he also patted our guests on the back for 
their accomplishments in recent months. 
 
¶3. (C) The PG's staff and our MFA counterparts also discussed 
their respective roles in the return of two Armenian TIP 
victims who had been incarcerated in Georgia on illegal 
migration charges (ref B).  The two victims are apparently 
receiving the care and support they need.  MFA Americas 
Director (A/S equivalent) Armen Yeganian thanked us again for 
our intervention (via Embassy Tbilisi) with Georgian 
authorities, which he believed galvanized action from the 
GOG.  Our Armenian partners harbor lingering doubts about the 
GOG's performance in this case, believing that the Georgians 
dragged their feet, failed for months to take the Armenian 
women's trafficking claims seriously, and were relatively 
uncooperative with the Armenian consul in Tbilisi who sought 
the victims' release.  They credited engagement between the 
U.S. Embassies in Yerevan and Tbilisi with helping to finally 
move this issue forward. 
 
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HUMAN RIGHTS/ELECTION FRAUD 
--------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) We touched on two other priority themes while we had 
the Deputy PG's attention.  CDA asked Danielyan whether he 
could share any new information in the case of the death in 
police custody of Levon Ghulyan, renewing our keen interest 
in the case.  Danielyan demurred, saying all information he 
could share had already been made public, and that the 
investigation continued.  We also learned that the 
international experts who performed an independent autopsy on 
the body had signed an agreement with the GOAM not to 
disclose their results publicly in advance of the 
investigation report release, presumably as a condition to 
gain access to the remains.  We also questioned Danielyan 
about the status of pending election fraud cases arising from 
the May 12 election.  Danielyan told us prosecutors had been 
working on 14 cases.  In four of these, to date, the 
investigations had been completed and the cases referred to 
the courts for placement on the docket.  Trials are expected 
in the near future.  (Septel will provide a comprehensive 
update of the various election fraud complaints and their 
status.) 
 
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PROSECUTORS DEMORALIZED BY RESTRUCTURING 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) All members of the PG's staff were clearly upset over 
impending changes in the PG's office in accordance 
with a new law that will take effect June 1.  The law, about 
which we will report septel, divests the PG institution of 
most of its investigative functions, and will result in a 
staffing cut of about 60 percent, according to Danielyan. 
Many investigators who currently work in the PG's 
organization will be transferred to various Armenian police 
agencies, while others will simply be laid off.  Danielyan 
told CDA that the prosecutors most capable of independent 
 
YEREVAN 00000691  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
endeavor were those most likely to take a buy-out; he 
expected to lose some of his strongest colleagues. 
GODFREY