PROTESTANTS PREPARED TO "FIGHT UNTIL THE END" TO

UNCLAS MINSK 001143

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL/IRF BARTH
DEPT FOR DRL PETER SAWCHYN

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KIRF BO
SUBJECT: PROTESTANTS PREPARED TO "FIGHT UNTIL THE END" TO
SAVE CHURCH

Ref: A) MINSK 957

B) MINSK 1119

Summary
--------------


1. (SBU) On October 21, approximately 600 people gathered in
Minsk to protest the GOB's confiscation of the New Life
Church's (NLC) property. Amidst heavy security presence,
NLC Senior Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko called on the
people to defend their right to freedom of religion. On
October 17, the NLC filed an appeal of the GOB's decision
upon recommendations from the Presidential Administration.
Despite rumors that Lukashenko supports the NLC's claim
against the Minsk City authorities, Goncharenko promised to
continue protesting, including the ongoing nationwide hunger
strike, until the GOB returns the NLC's property. The NLC's
struggle has increasingly attracted domestic and
international attention and support, particularly as the
hunger strike continues. End summary.

Heavy Police Presence Did Not Deter NLC Demonstrators
-------------- --------------


2. (U) On October 21, approximately 500-600 people gathered
at Friendship Park to protest the GOB's forced sale of the
NLC building (ref A). The crowd of families waved flags and
banners, which demanded the government reverse its decision
on the NLC's building and called for religious freedom in
Belarus. Senior Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko thanked the
people for their support and pledged to continue their
protests until the authorities return the building to the
NLC. He asked the crowd to adopt a resolution to defend
their right to freedom of religion in Belarus, which the
crowd readily accepted. Representatives from the Union of
Full Gospel Churches, the Union of Christians of Evangelical
Faith, and the Russian Assembly of God participated in the
demonstration.


3. (SBU) Poloffs observed a significant security presence
during the demonstration, including three police buses, two
police jeeps, and one two-ton prison vehicle on alert
approximately 500 meters from the park. Two riot police
officers stood on the periphery of the demonstration for
half of the demonstration. In order to maintain order, the
NLC took its own "crowd-control" precautions with ushers
patrolling the park and announcements asking participants
not to wave flags with unregistered symbols.

All Was Peaceful Back at the Building
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4. (SBU) Despite the concerns of some church leaders, the
authorities made no attempt to gain control of the NLC
building while the majority of the community was at the
demonstration. However, the community had taken extra
precautions to protect its property, including limiting
access to the site and the road leading to the building and
registering all guests. Poloff, who visited the building
during the demonstration, estimated approximately 60 people
remained behind.

Meeting with GOB Leads to Another Appeal
--------------


5. (U) The demonstration followed Goncharenko's October 17
meeting with Presidential Administration Main Ideology
Officer Oleg Proleskovskiy about the Minsk City Executive
Committee's decision to confiscate the NLC's building and
land. Proleskovskiy told Goncharenko that Lukashenko was
aware of the NLC's situation and considers it a "normal
church in need of assistance." Prolesovskiy insisted that
this matter could only be solved through legal means and
urged Goncharenko to again turn to the courts but did not
offer any guarantees. On October 18, the NLC filed an
appeal on the government's decision with the Supreme
Economic Court.

Protests Will Continue Until Building is Returned to NLC

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6. (U) At a press conference on October 19, Goncharenko
noted that the GOB has previously made promises that went
unfulfilled. In an effort to ensure a victorious outcome,
Goncharenko pledged that the NLC would not stop its hunger
strike until it has full ownership of its building and land.
Over 200 people, including many from churches around the
country, have participated in a hunger strike since October
5 to protest the forced sale of the building. Approximately
30 of the hunger strikers and 70 church members remain at
the NLC building as part of a round-the-clock vigil.
According to the NLC's press release, 36 people in cities
throughout Belarus are also on hunger strike to support the
NLC. On October 19, Dr. Artem Adamenko, a Baptist physician
who has volunteered to monitor the health of the hunger
strikers, stated that the hunger strikers had problems with
blood pressure, but that most were healthy. [Note: The
state doctors and ambulances have refused to conduct
examinations on the hunger strikers unless there is a
medical emergency. End note.]

Support for NLC Grows In and Out of Belarus
--------------


7. (U) The NLC's struggle continues to attract domestic and
international attention and support. On October 18, Pastor
Dmitriy Lazuta called on the 450 members of his Annunciation
Church of the Union of Evangelical Baptist Christians in
Belarus to observe a one-day fast to show their solidarity
with the NLC. Letters of support have arrived from all
around the world, including the U.S, Europe, and Africa.
NLC press spokesperson Inna Davydovich stated that U.S.
Protestant believers appealed to their Congressional
representatives to assist the church. [Note: We have
already responded to one such inquiry. End note.] At the
October 19 press conference, Pastor Goncharenko expressed
his gratitude for all the encouragement the church has
received. He noted that the NLC is willing to accept all
support regardless of political views, citing the example of
a monetary donation from the state run Belarusian Republican
Youth Union (BRYU) that the church received.

NLC Threatens State Television with Libel Suit
-------------- -


8. (U) On October 20, New Life sent a letter to state
television "STV" demanding that the network grant the NLC
airtime to refute the allegations about the hunger strike
protest. The NLC threatened to open a libel case against
STV if the network did not comply. The NLC's letter
followed STV journalist Lyudmila Dzhurayeva's report on the
NLC hunger strike entitled, "Strange Worshippers of a No
Less Strange Religion," which slandered the NLC's beliefs
and members. STV broadcast the report on October 14 and 15
after the NLC denied STV's news crew access to its building.

Comment
--------------


9. (SBU) The NLC's demonstration was extremely well-
organized, with designated volunteers performing crowd
control, registering participants, and distributing
information. Music greeted the families as they started
arriving 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. The
demonstrators did not appear to be intimidated by the heavy
security presence and instead held large, professionally-
made signs demanding the regime reverse its decision and
abide by the Belarusian constitution. The increased
security presence suggests that the authorities take the
NLC's actions seriously. Yet, despite promising words from
the government and increased displays of domestic and
international support, the outcome for the NLC remains
uncertain. While the NLC's meeting with the GOB indicates a
willingness on both sides to have an open dialogue,
Goncharenko recognizes that the regime has previously failed
to follow through on good faith gestures (ref B),making the
NLC's decision to "fight until the end" a prudent if not
desperate tactic.


STEWART