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