QELECTION FRAUD, OPPRESSION, AND JOB LOSS IN MOLODECHNO

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 000838



SIPDIS



SIPDIS



E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/15

TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, BO

SUBJECT:QElection Fraud, Oppression, and Job Loss in

Molodechno





Classified by Ambassador George Krol for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)



1. (C) Summary: On July 15, Poloffs met with NGO and

political activists in Molodechno, a mid-sized town near

Minsk. The activists, who could have been talking about

any town in Belarus, noted high governmental interference

in their activities and massive electoral fraud.

Opposition groups have suffered fines, arrests, set-ups,

registration denials, and job loss. Pressure from the

local authorities has scared away financial assistance from

local businesses and the lack of venues makes it difficult

to hold meetings and seminars. However, the activists

continue, often unsuccessfully, to inform residents about

serious community problems, such as mysterious deaths at

the local military base. End Summary.



2. (C) Poloff met with head of the human rights NGO Vyasna

Ales Kaputsky, lawyer for the Belarusian Helsinki Committee

(BHC) and human rights activist Alexei Khvostik, head of

Molodechno's Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) Yan

Logvinovich, Belarusian Social-Democratic Party (BSDG)

leader Eduard Balanchuk, and NGO coordinator and

Logvinovich's wife, Olga, at Kaputsky's house, which also

serves as the headquarters for his organization as well as

the BPF and BSDG.



Massive Electoral Fraud

--------------



3. (C) Alexei Khvostik spoke of the authorities' electoral

fraud techniques, which include forcing people to vote

early, preventing observers from monitoring, and forging

voters' signatures on ballots supporting pro-government

candidates. In the 2001 presidential election, these

techniques allowed Lukashenko to gain 99 percent of the

vote in Molodechno. In the 2004 parliamentary elections,

official figures indicated 70 percent of the electorate

voted while Khvostik reported only 47 percent. The current

mayor officially received 53 percent of the vote, but inner

government sources told Khvostik that he had actually

received 38 percent while a BKGB source reported 36

percent.



Limited Activities

--------------



4. (C) Kaputsky spoke of government harassment, which has

made it difficult for NGOs and opposition parties to pursue

their activities. Most organizations are not registered

and are unable to find venues for their functions. Only one

independent news source, Regionalnaya Gazeta, operates in

the city, but is often reluctant to advertise NGO and

political party activities, let alone publish articles on

important social issues. Due to little media access and

governmental interference, information on the time and

place of meetings is spread by word of mouth.



Political Activities

--------------



5. (C) Yan Logvinovich, head of Molodechno's BPF branch and

a former leader of Malady Front announced that pro-

Milinkevich candidates were chosen as delegates for the

National Congress at regional conferences in Molodechno and

Vileika. The regional conference in Molodechno was

interrupted by a bogus fire alarm and cancelled when four

fire engines, policemen, and representatives from the

Ministry of Emergency Situations arrived and closed the

building. Fortunately, the meeting reconvened at a

different location.



6. (C) Logvinovich claimed there was an active, though

small, youth movement in Molodechno that is constantly

harassed by the authorities. Logvinovich's wife, Olga, is

a coordinator of children's projects and founder of a

teacher's club as well as an organizer for various

educational seminars and professional training for local

teachers. Unfortunately, government harassment has kept

local teachers from participating.



Job Loss

--------------



7. (C) The activists noted how authorities use job security



as a leverage of control over those involved in politics.

Olga formerly worked as a psychologist at a secondary

school in Molodechno, but was fired for her political

activities. As a student, Logvinovich was expelled twice

for his political activities and took a job as a forest

ranger. He was then fired but eventually reinstated.

Kaputsky is unemployed and BSDP leader Eduard Balanchuk can

only find work as a truck driver. The authorities have

offered them well-paying jobs as a way to "keep them quiet

and vulnerable," but they refused.



Stings

--------------



8. (C) Balanchuk described how authorities set up stings to

punish anyone who is politically active. Recently,

Alexander Martynov, a prominant doctor and BHC activist,

was arrested for possession and distribution of narcotic

substances. According to Balanchuk, two of Martynov's

patients approached him for clean needles and syringes.

Once the patients got what they needed, the BKGB took them

aside and made an agreement: testify that Martynov gave

them narcotics in exchange for no further jail time for

drug use. Martynov is now in an isolation cell and could

face seven years in prison. His business has since closed

and his family told BHC to not interfere with the case.

Unfortunately, these tactics have frightened away most

business support.



Concerns

--------------



9. (C) The activists expressed their concerns for the

future in Molodechno. The new law on political parties and

NGOs (septel) threaten their organizations' already shaky

structure and the ever-increasing number of people seeking

political asylum abroad is discrediting their cause.

Balanchuk explained that ten Molodechno residents applied

for political asylum in the EU because of alleged political

oppression, but not at all were politically active.

According to Balanchuk, these "political refugees" just

want better social and living conditions and make the true

opposition look like fools, especially when the authorities

use the stories in their propaganda.



10. (C) The second concern Khvostik spoke of dealt with his

ongoing case of mysterious deaths at the local military

base. The body of a soldier who guarded a military

compound from which equipment is regularly stolen was found

riddled with bullets. A sergeant was found dead with his

arm broken and other severe injuries. The rumor is that

the sergeant refused to go along with a racket that skimmed

money allocated for the soldiers, which is supposedly a

common practice in the army ranks. Therefore, he was

tortured and hanged. A quick investigation ruled it a

suicide. The victims' families met with the Minister of

Defense, but did not receive any answer or assistance.

According to Khvostik, over 200 Belarusian soldiers have

mysteriously died in the last year.



Comment

--------------



11. (C) The activists' stories highlight the plight of

social initiative groups, NGOs, and political parties

across Belarus. Even though Kaputsky's organization is

technically illegal, he still receives a steady flow of

people who need legal counseling or help. The BPF is

helping youth organizations gain registration and tries

(mostly unsuccessfully) to hold seminars for locals on

economic and government reform. Khvostik has succeeded in

some aspects in helping young activists evade fines and/or

jail time for their activities while working human rights

cases pro bono. However, the authorities' pressure has

made not just their work, but their lives difficult.



KROL