Issue no: 1211 • DECEMBER 13 - 16, 2019 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... Femicide in Georgia - 151 Women Murdered in 6 Years NEWS PAGE 2 TBC Bank Receives EBRD Award for Financing Energy Effi ciency Projects NEWS PAGE 3 Why Russia is Not as Weak as it Seems POLITICS PAGE 4 Investing in Georgia’s Green Economy! BUSINESS PAGE 6 Holiday Factory Named Best Incoming Tour Operator ON GLOBAL 2019 at Welcome to FOCUS CLIMATE CHANGE Georgia! Awards Georgia joins the Resolution cause with the polyphonic group Suliko PAGE 2 Abducted Georgian Doctor Discussed at Geneva Talks BY TEA MARIAMIDZE BUSINESS PAGE 7 he 50th round of the Geneva Inter- national Discussions (GID), which represent the only format of an LAG, No Lag: Mestia, ongoing international dialogue between Georgia and Russia, took Svaneti Tplace in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 10-11. One of the main topics was the case of the ille- CULTURE PAGE 9 gally detained doctor, Vazha Gaprindashvili, who has been held captive by the puppet regime of the Russian-occupied South Ossetia since early 4 Young Pianists Play November. Image source: alt-info.com Lasha Darsalia, Deputy Foreign Minister and “The human rights and humanitarian situation “We listened to the views of both parties. We at Paris Christmas Gala Head of the Georgian delegation, at the talks, has worsened there since August. There are a hope that Gaprindashvili will be returned to his noted he hoped Gaprindashvili’s case will be number of issues related to both the closure of loved ones in the near future. It is in everyone's Concert resolved soon despite the complexity of the issue. crossing points and illegal borderization and we interest that this issue be removed from the “We continue to work with our partners. The hope that progress will be made in this regard,” agenda. Do not ask me how he will be released- CULTURE PAGE 11 issue is diffi cult, but, on the basis of the reactions he added. you know he is not in the Kremlin," Rudenko we saw and dynamics of the negotiations, we Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei told Georgian journalists. expect and hope that the issue will be resolved Rudenko, who attended the 50th round of GID The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in the near future,” Darsalia said. on behalf of Moscow, also commented on the also released a statement regarding the GID, Special Offer for readers He added that another top issue discussed issue of Gaprindashvili after the meeting, claim- noting that the EU, UN, OSCE and US offi cials concerned the closing of Administrative Bound- ing it was a humanitarian issue and “everybody unanimously demanded the immediate release of Georgia Today ary Line (ABL) crossing points in occupied should meet New Year together with their fam- of the Georgian doctor. Akhalgori. ilies.” Continued on page 2 -15% off all Diet Plans! PAGE 7 GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS DECEMBER 13 - 16, 2019 Femicide in Georgia - 151 Women Murdered in 6 Years about femicide. The data showed that need to be made during the examination BY TEA MARIAMIDZE most cases involving the attempted mur- of cases in order to address systemic der of women are usually accompanied shortcomings. by domestic violence. Deputy Public Defender Ekaterine emicide is the killing of a Lomjaria said that according to the Skhiladze told Netgazeti that the preven- woman or girl, in particular Prosecutor's Offi ce, 135 killings of women tion of violence against women and by a man and on account of were reported in 2014-2018. Of these, domestic violence remains a problem in her gender. 151 such cases have three victims were led to suicide while Georgia, and such cases lack an effective been reported in Georgia in 64 showed signs of domestic abuse. Other response when identifi ed. Fthe last six years, the Public Defender motives were identifi ed in 71 cases. In “The main problem, in our estimation, of Georgia, Nino Lomjaria reported at the same years, there were 69 attempted is that most cases of domestic violence the Conference on the Prevention and murders of women, of which fi ve of the or violence against women are not Monitoring of Femicide held in Tbilisi victims were led to attempt suicide and reported to the relevant authorities, as on Wednesday with the support of the 46 of which contained signs of domestic women are reluctant to address them Public Defender of Georgia and UN abuse. Other motives were identifi ed in due to various barriers, such as economic Women. 23 cases. problems, lack of trust or other factors,” Femicide is a sex-based hate crime The fi rst 10 months (January-October) she explained. term, defi ned as "the intentional killing of 2019, saw 16 killings of women reported, Skhiladze said that as the report covers of females because they are females.” of which one of the victims was led to the last fi ve years, cases when the police Most cases of femicide are committed suicide and nine showed signs of domes- was informed but could not prevent by partners or ex-partners and involve tic abuse. Other motives were identifi ed femicide are few. However, she believes ongoing abuse in the home, threats or in seven cases. In the same period, there Image source: newstatesman.com that for 2014-2016 the number of such intimidation, sexual violence or situa- were 16 attempted murders of women. tradictory, which complicates vating circumstances of the punishment. cases is still high. tions where women have less power or Signs of domestic abuse were identifi ed coor di nation between them. Accordingly, it is important for the Pros- The Deputy Ombudsman noted that fewer resources than their partner. in 12 cases, while other motives were The main fi ndings of the report show ecutor's Offi ce to take appropriate meas- the fi rst and foremost recommendation The Public Defender requested infor- identifi ed in the remaining four cases. that it is still problematic for the court ures to identify gender motives in the is for the State to expand and strengthen mation about femicide from the Georgian The Ombudsman found that due to the to assess a case as femicide or attempted murders or attempted murders of women's support programs, to create law enforcement agencies, including the lack of uniform statistics gathering, dif- femicide. women,” the report reads. more programs for victims of domestic Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecu- ferent agencies’ statistical data on gender- “Even when gender motives are iden- Lomjaria also stressed that despite the violence and to prevent the escalation tor's Offi ce and the Court, for her report related killings of women are often con- tifi ed, this is not refl ected in the aggra- decline in the rates of femicide, efforts of violence, such as the killing of women. Abducted Georgian Doctor Discussed at Geneva Talks Continued from page 1 was the detention of Doctor Vazha Gaprin- mandate throughout Georgia. of the Georgian territories, grossly vio- meeting-group format. At one meeting, the dashvili,” the MFA says. Among the top issues of the talks were lates the EU ceasefi re agreement of 12 sides discuss security and stability issues The Georgian delegation raised wors- The Ministry also noted that the Co- the killings of Georgian citizens Archil August 2008. It urged Moscow to fulfi ll in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia and Tskh- ened security and human rights situation Chairs, participants from Georgia and Tatunashvili in breakaway S. Ossetia, who its international obligations, including invali regions, while the second meeting in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abk- the United States, strongly condemned received 100 injuries prior to his death in the withdrawal of occupation forces from concerns the dignifi ed and safe return of hazia and Tskhinvali, as well as in the the illegal detention of the representa- 2018, of Giga Otkhozoria in May 2016, of the territory of Georgia. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and villages adjacent to the occupation line. tives of the European Union Monitoring Davit Basharuli, murdered in unclear The Geneva Discussions were launched refugees to their homes in the occupied In this context, the provocative steps of Mission by the occupation forces on circumstances in breakaway Tskhinvali after the Russia-Georgia war 2008 and regions. While discussing the issue of IDPs Russia and de facto regimes of the break- October 24 on territory controlled by the in 2015, and of Irakli Kvaratskhelia in 2019, are held with the co-Chairmanship of the return to their homes at the 50th round, the away regions of Georgia were stressed, Georgian government. They assessed the who died in unclear circumstances at the EU, UN and OSCE, and with the partici- GID participants from Moscow, occupied in particular, in the village of Chorchani occupation regime's actions as unprec- Russian military base in breakaway Abk- pation of Georgia, the Russian Federation Sokhumi and Tskhinvali demonstrated their near the Georgia-controlled area, where edented provocation and stressed that it hazia. The Georgian side requested Rus- and the USA. The representatives of now-traditional “destructive attitude” and barbed wire fences had been erected, the was unacceptable to interfere with the sia provide full information regarding the Georgia’s breakaway regions, the Sokhumi left the negotiating room. occupation line was closed and the num- mission's activities. It was reiterated that last case. and Tskhinvali occupation regimes, also The next round of Geneva International ber of kidnappings has increased. the EUMM should be allowed to enter Offi cial Tbilisi also stressed that the attend the working group sessions.