Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06MINSK238
2006-03-11 09:04:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Minsk
Cable title:
Harassment of Opposition Intensifies
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000238
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: Harassment of Opposition Intensifies
Refs: (A) Minsk 205, (B) Minsk 179, (C) Minsk 223
MINSK 00000238 001.3 OF 003
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000238
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: Harassment of Opposition Intensifies
Refs: (A) Minsk 205, (B) Minsk 179, (C) Minsk 223
MINSK 00000238 001.3 OF 003
1. In recent weeks authorities have greatly accelerated their petty
harassment of opposition activists, leading up to the March 19
presidential elections. Police throughout the country are
detaining Milinkevich activists, usually releasing them without
charge after three hours, and seizing their campaign materials. On
March 1, Milinkevich stated that police briefly detained 220 of his
activists during the candidate nomination period alone (December 28
to January 26). Police are also detaining those attempting to
deliver independent newspapers and several students have been
expelled from university because of their political activities. In
addition to this petty harassment, the BKGB arrested four people
involved in organizing independent election monitoring (ref A),and
security forces are trying to block public demonstrations (refs B
and C). Most of these problems are occurring during a period when
it is legal to campaign.
2. Below follows a brief sampling of the harassment faced by
opposition activists in February. Authorities have long engaged in
such behavior, but these incidents of harassment became
increasingly common after elections were called in December. This
list is not at all complete.
Expulsions
--------------
3. State authorities have long used school expulsions to punish
politically active youth. In previous cases, expelled youth were
threatened with being drafted into the military.
February 25, Vitebsk Veterinary University expelled Lyubov
Kuchinskaya because of her membership in the youth opposition group
Zubr. This is the second school to expel her for her activism.
February 20, Malady Front local leader Sergey Marchuk was expelled
from Baranavichy State University after participating in a peaceful
demonstration.
February 15, the Yanka Kupala Grodno University expelled Yevgeny
Skrabutan after he was fined USD 135 for possession of 5,000
Milinkevich calendars (see para 6).
February 14, Mogilev State University expelled Zubr member Maryna
Tsvyatkova. She had been detained in January while distributing
SIPDIS
independent newspapers.
February 6 and 7, police officers in Soligorsk visited School
Number 4 (a high school) and warned six Malady Front members they
faced expulsion if they continued with their political activities.
Brief Detentions
--------------
4. Under Belarusian law, police can detain an individual for up to
three hours to "confirm their identity." Authorities frequently
use this provision to harass opposition activists and those
distributing independent newspapers.
February 25, police detained Union of Belarusian Poles activist
Andrzej Boris for three hours after punching him in the face and
dragging him out of his car with a pistol to his head. Boris was
trying to attend a concert hosted by the Polish Embassy.
February 19, police in Borisov briefly detained Zubr members Mikhas
Kandrashov and Ales Malchanov.
February 19, police in Vitebsk briefly detained Milinkevich
activists Vlada Tokarava and Konstantin Perahuda while they
campaigned at the train station.
February 17, police in Lida and Vaukavisk stopped several cars of
Milinkevich supporters traveling to Minsk for the candidate
registration ceremony.
February 14, police in Minsk detained two Zubr members caught
putting up a poster.
February 11, police detained opposition leader Anatoly Lebedko for
2.5 hours and seized 17 independent papers and campaign materials.
Seizure of Campaign Materials and Independent Papers
-------------- --------------
5. Under Belarusian law, it is legal to distribute campaign
MINSK 00000238 002 OF 003
literature during the official campaign period (which began on
February 17). Likewise it is legal to distribute properly
registered newspapers, such as Narodnaya Volya and Tovarisch.
However, authorities are still detaining people and seizing such
materials.
February 27, police in Vitebsk detained two youth for two hours and
confiscated 415 copies of Narodnaya Volya.
February 25, police in Gomel seized 350 campaign leaflets and a
table and chair from a Milinkevich activist outside a ddpartment
store. Milinkevich's campaign team reports two more of their
activists were briefly detained and had camp`ign literature
confiscated that day in Gomel.
February 24, police in Gomel seized 1,400 campaign leaflets
Milinkevich supporters were passing out at a bus stop. Police also
detained one of the activists for three hours.
Februar9 21, police in Mogilev detained Milinkevich's regional
campaign manager, Vladimir Shantsov, overnight and seized from him
26,000 election leaflets and 400 independent newspapers. Later in
the day police returned t`e leaflets but not the newspapers.
February 21, police in Gomel seized 450 leaflets, a table and
display stanD, and 70 copies of Narodnaya Volya from Andrey
Tolchin, who was campaigning for Milinkevich outside a department
store.
February 13, police in Grodno stopped a car with Milinkevich
activists and seized 1,200 copies of Narodnaya Volya.
February 3, customs officials seize$ copies of the independ%nt
magazine @rche and the Ukrainian magazine Qrytyka from a human
rights activist because they contained articles c2itical of the
Belarusian electikns.
Charges
--------------
6. The regime frequently uses fines and brief jail sentences,
usually from 5 to 15 days, to discourage opposition activities.
Since campaigning began police have increasingLy charged activists
with non-political offensEs, such as littering and hooliganism.
Demonstrators at a February proTest told Poloff they heard police
say they had been ordered to arrest activists and charge them with
non-political offenses (ref B).
February 28, five plai.clothes security officers entered the
ap!rtment of Borir Vyrvich, Milinkevich's campaign leader in the
village of Bolshaya Moschanitsa, at 730 and brought hi- to dhe
polibe station whebe he was charged w)th shouting obrcenities at
officials.
Febr5ary "2, authorities in Vitebsk charged Boris Khamaida for
staging an unauthorized demonstration after he held up a sign in
public calling for an election boycott.
February 16, a court fin%d Milinkevich activist USD 27 for illegal
campaigning after he was found with Milinkevich cal%ndars,
February 14, a Masty court fined Yevgeny Skrabutan USD 135 for
possessing 5,000 pocket-sized Milinkevich calendars.
February 14, police in Mogilev charged two Zubp activists wiTh
hooliganicm after they were caughd putping up an opposition poster.
February 1#, police in Minsk $etained 21 Zubr members gatheringQ
near a stor%. One of them, Yevgeny Afnagel, sas sdntenced 4o 15
days in jail fOr aldegedly shouting obScenities in public.
February 13, a Minsk court sentencdd small business NGG Perspektiva
member Aleksandr Makaev to 10 days in jail for calling for a market
strike.
February 10, police in Borisov charged four Zubr members with
littering after they were caught distributing opposition stickers.
February 9, police in Minsk detained Zubr activist Oleg Myatselitsa
for an identity check. They ceized Zubr material from him and
charged him with littering.
February 8, polic% in Gomel detained Svyatoslav Shalamov and fined
him USD 135 for early campaigning. They also seized 11,000
leaflets mocking state media fOr its official bias.
February 7, police fined Yurq Glushkov USD 135 also for having
leaflets mocking state media.
***********************
* Missing Section 003 *
***********************
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: Harassment of Opposition Intensifies
Refs: (A) Minsk 205, (B) Minsk 179, (C) Minsk 223
MINSK 00000238 001.3 OF 003
1. In recent weeks authorities have greatly accelerated their petty
harassment of opposition activists, leading up to the March 19
presidential elections. Police throughout the country are
detaining Milinkevich activists, usually releasing them without
charge after three hours, and seizing their campaign materials. On
March 1, Milinkevich stated that police briefly detained 220 of his
activists during the candidate nomination period alone (December 28
to January 26). Police are also detaining those attempting to
deliver independent newspapers and several students have been
expelled from university because of their political activities. In
addition to this petty harassment, the BKGB arrested four people
involved in organizing independent election monitoring (ref A),and
security forces are trying to block public demonstrations (refs B
and C). Most of these problems are occurring during a period when
it is legal to campaign.
2. Below follows a brief sampling of the harassment faced by
opposition activists in February. Authorities have long engaged in
such behavior, but these incidents of harassment became
increasingly common after elections were called in December. This
list is not at all complete.
Expulsions
--------------
3. State authorities have long used school expulsions to punish
politically active youth. In previous cases, expelled youth were
threatened with being drafted into the military.
February 25, Vitebsk Veterinary University expelled Lyubov
Kuchinskaya because of her membership in the youth opposition group
Zubr. This is the second school to expel her for her activism.
February 20, Malady Front local leader Sergey Marchuk was expelled
from Baranavichy State University after participating in a peaceful
demonstration.
February 15, the Yanka Kupala Grodno University expelled Yevgeny
Skrabutan after he was fined USD 135 for possession of 5,000
Milinkevich calendars (see para 6).
February 14, Mogilev State University expelled Zubr member Maryna
Tsvyatkova. She had been detained in January while distributing
SIPDIS
independent newspapers.
February 6 and 7, police officers in Soligorsk visited School
Number 4 (a high school) and warned six Malady Front members they
faced expulsion if they continued with their political activities.
Brief Detentions
--------------
4. Under Belarusian law, police can detain an individual for up to
three hours to "confirm their identity." Authorities frequently
use this provision to harass opposition activists and those
distributing independent newspapers.
February 25, police detained Union of Belarusian Poles activist
Andrzej Boris for three hours after punching him in the face and
dragging him out of his car with a pistol to his head. Boris was
trying to attend a concert hosted by the Polish Embassy.
February 19, police in Borisov briefly detained Zubr members Mikhas
Kandrashov and Ales Malchanov.
February 19, police in Vitebsk briefly detained Milinkevich
activists Vlada Tokarava and Konstantin Perahuda while they
campaigned at the train station.
February 17, police in Lida and Vaukavisk stopped several cars of
Milinkevich supporters traveling to Minsk for the candidate
registration ceremony.
February 14, police in Minsk detained two Zubr members caught
putting up a poster.
February 11, police detained opposition leader Anatoly Lebedko for
2.5 hours and seized 17 independent papers and campaign materials.
Seizure of Campaign Materials and Independent Papers
-------------- --------------
5. Under Belarusian law, it is legal to distribute campaign
MINSK 00000238 002 OF 003
literature during the official campaign period (which began on
February 17). Likewise it is legal to distribute properly
registered newspapers, such as Narodnaya Volya and Tovarisch.
However, authorities are still detaining people and seizing such
materials.
February 27, police in Vitebsk detained two youth for two hours and
confiscated 415 copies of Narodnaya Volya.
February 25, police in Gomel seized 350 campaign leaflets and a
table and chair from a Milinkevich activist outside a ddpartment
store. Milinkevich's campaign team reports two more of their
activists were briefly detained and had camp`ign literature
confiscated that day in Gomel.
February 24, police in Gomel seized 1,400 campaign leaflets
Milinkevich supporters were passing out at a bus stop. Police also
detained one of the activists for three hours.
Februar9 21, police in Mogilev detained Milinkevich's regional
campaign manager, Vladimir Shantsov, overnight and seized from him
26,000 election leaflets and 400 independent newspapers. Later in
the day police returned t`e leaflets but not the newspapers.
February 21, police in Gomel seized 450 leaflets, a table and
display stanD, and 70 copies of Narodnaya Volya from Andrey
Tolchin, who was campaigning for Milinkevich outside a department
store.
February 13, police in Grodno stopped a car with Milinkevich
activists and seized 1,200 copies of Narodnaya Volya.
February 3, customs officials seize$ copies of the independ%nt
magazine @rche and the Ukrainian magazine Qrytyka from a human
rights activist because they contained articles c2itical of the
Belarusian electikns.
Charges
--------------
6. The regime frequently uses fines and brief jail sentences,
usually from 5 to 15 days, to discourage opposition activities.
Since campaigning began police have increasingLy charged activists
with non-political offensEs, such as littering and hooliganism.
Demonstrators at a February proTest told Poloff they heard police
say they had been ordered to arrest activists and charge them with
non-political offenses (ref B).
February 28, five plai.clothes security officers entered the
ap!rtment of Borir Vyrvich, Milinkevich's campaign leader in the
village of Bolshaya Moschanitsa, at 730 and brought hi- to dhe
polibe station whebe he was charged w)th shouting obrcenities at
officials.
Febr5ary "2, authorities in Vitebsk charged Boris Khamaida for
staging an unauthorized demonstration after he held up a sign in
public calling for an election boycott.
February 16, a court fin%d Milinkevich activist USD 27 for illegal
campaigning after he was found with Milinkevich cal%ndars,
February 14, a Masty court fined Yevgeny Skrabutan USD 135 for
possessing 5,000 pocket-sized Milinkevich calendars.
February 14, police in Mogilev charged two Zubp activists wiTh
hooliganicm after they were caughd putping up an opposition poster.
February 1#, police in Minsk $etained 21 Zubr members gatheringQ
near a stor%. One of them, Yevgeny Afnagel, sas sdntenced 4o 15
days in jail fOr aldegedly shouting obScenities in public.
February 13, a Minsk court sentencdd small business NGG Perspektiva
member Aleksandr Makaev to 10 days in jail for calling for a market
strike.
February 10, police in Borisov charged four Zubr members with
littering after they were caught distributing opposition stickers.
February 9, police in Minsk detained Zubr activist Oleg Myatselitsa
for an identity check. They ceized Zubr material from him and
charged him with littering.
February 8, polic% in Gomel detained Svyatoslav Shalamov and fined
him USD 135 for early campaigning. They also seized 11,000
leaflets mocking state media fOr its official bias.
February 7, police fined Yurq Glushkov USD 135 also for having
leaflets mocking state media.
***********************
* Missing Section 003 *
***********************