HUNGER-STRIKING KOZULIN DENIED FAMILY CONTACT

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 001204

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - TEXT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: HUNGER-STRIKING KOZULIN DENIED FAMILY CONTACT

REF: A. MINSK 731

B. MINSK 965

Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Summary
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1. (C) At a recent opposition Belarusian Social Democratic
Party "Gramada" (BSDP) press conference held in support of
imprisoned BSDP chair and former presidential candidate
Aleksandr Kozulin, Kozulin's wife discussed how authorities
repeatedly denied her husband family contact and legal
counsel. BSDP leaders believe the GOB may be concealing
Kozulin's health condition and/or forcing Kozulin to end the
hunger strike he began on October 20. The conference
participants were unified in calling on Kozulin supporters
and representatives of the international community to show
support for Kozulin by sending him post cards, but they
remain divided on the political impact of Kozuhin's and other
BSDP activists' ongoing hunger strike. Meanwhile, the
Embassy continues its efforts to visit Kozulin in prison.
End Summary.

Kozulin Denied Contact with Family and Legal Counsel
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2. (U) On November 14, the opposition Belarusian Social
Democratic Party "Gramada" (BSDP) held a press conference
regarding its ongoing campaign demanding the release of
imprisoned BSDP chair and former presidential candidate
Aleksanor Kozulin, who is serving a five and half year prison
sentence for alleged "hooliganism" and disturbing the peace
(ref A). During the press conference, Kozulin's wife Irina
Kozulina stated that prison authorities have denied her all
contact with Kozulin since he began his hunger strike on
October 20 in protest against the start of President
Aleksandr Lukashenko's fraudulently elected third term in
office. Kozulina revealed that she is permitted to send
letters to her husband.


3. (C) Kozulina confirmed to Poloff press reports that
prison authorities prevented her from visiting her husband at
Vitsba-3 prison colony on November 8 and told her that she
likely would not be allowed to have contact with Kozulin
until January 17. Kozulina also noted that authorities
continue to deny Kozulin contact with his defense attorney
Igor Rynkevich on the grounds that the "stress" from talking
with his lawyer might worsen his health, already "threatened"
by his hunger strike. (Note: Rynkevich separately verified
to Emboffs that prison authorities have prohibited him from
consulting with Kozulin. End note.) Kozulina again attempted
to visit her husband in prison on November 16, but was turned
away by the prison administration.


4. (C) After the press conference, senior BSDP member and
human rights attorney Oleg Volchek related to Poloff his
suspicions that the GOB is withholding contacts with family
members and legal counsel to coerce Kozulin into ending his
hunger strike. BSDP Deputy Chair Aleksey Korol agreed with
Volchek and speculated that the authorities may be attempting
to conceaL the true extent of Kozulin's health problems.
Both Volchek and Korol cited an inquiry on the previous day
from prison authorities to Kozulin's wife regarding Kozulin's
normal blood pressure as cause for deep concern. (Note: On
November 8, Kozulin's daughter and BSDP attorney Olga
Kozulina told Poloff that she had met with Kozulin on October
16 and described pre-hunger strike Kozulin as lethargic and
malnourished. Former political prisoner Sergey Skrebets, who
was released from Vitsba-3 on November 15, reported that
Kozulin had lost approximately 20 percent of his body weight
since October 20. End note.)

Family and Supporters Divided on Hunger Strikes
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5. (U) During the press conference, Volchek declared his own
hunger strike in "spiritual" support of Kozulin. Two Minsk
BSDP youth activists, Nadezhda Baltura and Aleksandr
Streltsov, announced that they had been fasting for three
days to express their solidarity for the dozens of Kozulin
supporters who are fasting in the Belarusian cities of Brest,
Barankvichi, Grodno and the Ukrainian town of Kovel. Baltura
described herself to Poloff as a weak person but articulated
her determination to continue the strike for at least another
five days. Streltsov echoed Brest BSDP Head Igor
Maslovskiy's recent call for Kozulin's supporters to fast
periodically for four to five days at a time.


6. (U) BSDP Acting Chair Anatoliy Levkovich expressed doubts
about expanding the fast on the grounds that past mass hunger
strikes have caused "much cry and hue" and remained largely
unnoticed by the Belarusian public. Neither endorsing nor
criticizing the hunger strikes, Kozulina and BSDP activist
Raisa Mikhailovskaya urged Kozulin supporters and
representatives of the international community to send post
cards to Kozulin at Vitsba-3 by November 25, Kozulin's
birthday. (Note: On November 14, Kozulina reiterated to
independent media her hope that Kozulin would end his hunger
strike in the coming days. End note.)


7. (C) Korol admitted to Poloff his ambivalence about
Kozulin's hunger strike and intimated that Kozulina was
reluctant to endorse the activists' hunger strikes because of
her desire for her husband to end his fast. However, Korol
conceded that the growing number of hunger strikers and
support for the post card campaign proved that Kozulin's fast
was an effective means of communication with the Belarusian
public.

Embassy Again Presses for Access to Hunger Striking Kozulin
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8. (U) On November 2, the Embassy sent the MFA a diplomatic
note renewing our request to visit Kozulin. Authorities had
denied previous Embassy requests to visit Kozulin because
legal appeal procedures were ongoing (ref B). On October 31,
prison authorities permitted OSCE Head of Mission Ambassador
Ake Peterson to meet with Kozulin. Shortly after the visit,
Peterson described Kozulin to Ambassador as "in good mental
spirits" but "physically weakened."

Comment
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9. (C) Speculation among Kozulin's family members and
supporters that the authorities are preventing Kozulin's
family from visiting Koxulin until mid-January in order to
force Kozulin to end his hunger strike is probably correct.
The regime undoubtedly recognizes that force-feeding Kozulin
or allowing him to continue his strike to its natural
conclusion both carry high political costs in the
international arena. Regardless of whether such a GOB
extortion effort succeeds or fails, the Embassy will press on
in seeking access to Kozulin.
Stewart