480 PEOPLE SENTENCED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000358

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: 480 PEOPLE SENTENCED

REF: A. MINSK 331


B. MINSK 307

C. MINSK 337

D. MINSK 342

E. MINSK 192

Classified By: AMBASSADOR GEORGE KROL FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) Summary: As of March 28, nine Minsk district courts
had convicted in two days of trials 480 people for
participating in post-presidential election demonstrations.
Human rights lawyers have called the authorities' treatment
of detainees "barbaric" and claim detainees are regularly
denied food, water, and access to toilets. OSCE Minsk Office
officials visited the detained on March 29 and have concluded
the prison conditions clearly fail to meet OSCE standards,
but they are reluctant to describe the prisoners, situation
as dire or extreme. The Prosecutor General told reporters on
March 29 that 500 people, including 21 foreigners, were
detained on March 19-25 and threatened to prosecute
presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich for leading
unsanctioned demonstrations. Authorities continue to arrest
demonstrators and opposition activists but ignore the actions
of pro-GOB minions. The BKGB terrorism division, for
example, searched Malady Front members' houses, seized
material, and filed charges against four members. Three
minors were arrested near the Russian Embassy for protesting
Russia's support of Lukashenko, but the pro-government youth
organization BRSM was allowed to protest at the U.S. and
other Western Embassies without police intervention. Police
are investigating the alleged March 25 "beating" of state
media "correspondents", but seem to ignore the fact that 41
independent journalists have been beaten, fined, and/or
arrested since March 14. End Summary.

Human Rights Activists and GOB Announces Figures
-------------- ---


2. (U) Human rights NGO Vyasna reported on March 29 that 480
people who were arrested following the tent city razing on
March 24 and the March 25 protest (refs A-D) were sentenced
from three to 15 days in jail following speedy trials on
March 27 and 28. The most common charge was participation in
an unsanctioned meeting. Several detainees were fined and no
acquittals were reported. A list of detainees and their
sentences can be found on Vyasna's website
www.spring96.org/by/news/4065/.


3. (U) During a March 29 press conference, Prosecutor General
Petr Miklashevich told reporters that law enforcement
agencies arrested over 500 people on March 19-25 for
participating in unsanctioned meetings. According to
Miklashevich, 288 people received 10-day sentences, 112
received 15-day sentences, and 53 minors were released.
Twenty-one foreigners were detained, including seven
Ukrainians, six Poles, four Russians, two Georgians, one
Lithuanian, and one Canadian. Four foreigners were deported
without being charged and two minors (one Pole and one
Ukrainian) were released. Fourteen foreigners were sentenced
from three to 15 days. Miklashevich claimed that those who
were in the vicinity of the demonstrations and mistakenly
arrested were also released.

Authorities' Behavior "Sadistic"
--------------


4. (U) Human rights lawyer Valentin Stefanovich told online
news source Belapan on March 28 that it was difficult to list
those arrested and their sentences, as the police and courts
continue to withhold information. Many parents still do not
know where their children are being held five days after
their arrests. Human rights lawyer Vladimir Labkovich told
human rights NGO Charter 97's press center that the
authorities' actions where "barbaric" and "sadistic." He
called the detainees' treatment "a form of torture" and noted
that many were beaten, deprived of food and water, and denied
access to toilets. Stefanovich reported that he and fellow
human rights defenders had created a list of 53 judges who
they feel should be banned from entering the EU.

OSCE Minsk Office Visits Detained, Notes Unsuitable Conditions
-------------- --------------


5. (C) OSCE Minsk Office Deputy Director Vahram Abadjian
described for Pol/Econ Chief on March 29 the &unsuitable
prison conditions8 for those arrested in the recent
demonstrations. On March 29, OSCE Ambassador Ake Peterson

MINSK 00000358 002 OF 003


led a small delegation of OSCE Minsk officials, including
Abadjian, to the BKGB,s Okryestina detention center, the
main detention center for those arrested during post-election
protest rallies. (Note: To the OSCE,s surprise, the
Ministry of Interior took only seven days to review and
approve the OSCE,s letter of request to visit those detained
in Okryestina.) Based on several conversations with
detention center officials and the incarcerated, the OSCE
confirmed reports that the detention center remains
overcrowded (approximately 36 to 46 more prisoners than
maximum occupancy) and was short on food for the prisoners
for the first few days of the massive intake of detainees.
However, the OSCE,s preliminary conclusion is that much of
the alleged mistreatment can be attributed to an unexpected
and sharp increase in the number of prisoners.


6. (C) When asked about reports of detainees being beaten
inside the detention center, or women being denied toilet
paper, Abadjian said the detainees they interviewed said they
were not subject to such abuse and they did not know of
anyone who was treated in such a manner. Abadjian noted he
met with Ten Plus Coalition senior member Anatoly Lebedko and
student activist Tatiana Kholma (who was expelled from a
state university in late 2005 for attending a student
conference in France),among other political detainees. Most
reported the prison authorities treated everyone in the
detention center, including non-political detainees, in a
universal manner, and some &repeat political offenders8
noted the behavior of the prison guards was better than on
previous occasions. Abadjian stressed his office was still
debating over the final conclusions of their report to OSCE
Vienna on the status of detained, but he believed the
criticism of the regime will be limited to noting the prison
conditions did not meet OSCE standards.

Trials Ended?
--------------


7. (C) Post has been unable to find out when and where the
trials are taking place. Stefanovich and Labkovich are
having the same trouble, as the courts are still not
releasing information. The courts themselves may not know
when detainees will be tried as it depends on whether a
transfer bus full of detainees shows up at the court or not.
A lawyer in the OSCE Minsk Office, who is closely monitoring
the court cases and also experiencing similar difficulties,
told Poloff on March 29 that they suspect the trials have
ended, but they too cannot confirm this. OSCE Deputy
Abadjian told Pol/Econ Chief that despite reports to the
contrary, judges are not conducting trials and sentencing
detainees in the detention centers. The detainees are
transported to a nearby courthouse for their hearing,
although he confirmed the trials are conducted in a matter of
minutes.

Milinkevich Could Be Prosecuted
--------------


8. (U) Prosecutor General Miklashevich on March 29 threatened
10 Coalition presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich
with possible prosecution for leading two unsanctioned
demonstrations on March 2 and March 25. Miklashevich claimed
Milinkevich violated the law after receiving warnings from
the GOB.

BKGB Prosecutes Malady Front Leaders
--------------


9. (U) The BKGB on March 28 began prosecuting four Malady
Front leaders Dmitry Dashkevich, Sergei Lisichonok, Boris
Goretsky, and Oleg Korbun for running an unregistered,
non-governmental association that encroaches on Belarusians'
rights and duties as citizens. (Note: Four activists of the
unregistered NGO Partnership were arrested for the same
charge in February and are still awaiting trial (ref E).) On
March 27, the BKGB's Directorate for Constitutional System
Protection and Terrorism Prevention searched the activists'
apartments and seized printed material and computers. If
convicted, all four activists could face up to three years in
prison.

Entire Family Jailed
--------------


10. (U) An entire Gomel family is now sitting in jail.
Victor Zhilinsky, a member of Milinkevich's party, was
arrested on March 18 en route to a district election

MINSK 00000358 003 OF 003


commission to obtain observation accreditation. He
reportedly received an invitation from someone claiming to be
a member of the commission. While walking to the commission,
an unknown man dropped a beer bottle at Zhilinsky's feet and
immediately accused the activist of knocking the bottle out
of his hands. Police soon arrived and arrested Zhilinsky for
allegedly using obscene language.


11. (U) Zhilinsky's wife, Svetlana, and daughter, Yekaterina,
were later arrested on March 24 when security forces raided
the tent city on October Square. Svetlana was sentenced to
seven days in jail on March 27. Yekaterina was also
sentenced on March 27, but the court would not release any
further information.

Demonstrators At Russian Embassy Jailed, BRCM Demonstrators
Go Free
-------------- --------------


12. (U) On March 28, three minors Nika Lozovskaya, Ruslan
Matveyev, and Olga Morduyeva were arrested while
demonstrating near the Russian Embassy. The activists
unfurled a banner that said "You supported the dictator
today. Will you support the criminal tomorrow?" One
activist doused a Russian flag in a bucket of soapy water as
if washing it and then pulled out a Soviet flag from the
bucket. All three activists are minors and, according to
Belarusian law, were to be released later in the day.
However, online news source Interfax reported on March 29
that the 16-year-old Lozovskaya would stand trial for
allegedly not obeying police officers. According to
Belarusian law, minors are not to be prosecuted in court.


13. (U) The pro-Lukashenko Belarusian Republican Youth
Movement (BRSM) on March 26 and 27 picketed the U.S. and
Western Embassies, calling for an end to alleged
"international interference." Police, however, did not
intervene nor did they make any arrests. Instead, the BRSM
demonstrations got positive coverage on all state-controlled
TV channels.

Police Investigate "Beating" of State Media Crew
-------------- ---


14. (U) The authorities on March 28 launched an investigation
into the alleged "beating" of state owned Belarusian TV's
(BT) "journalists" during the March 25 demonstration. BT's
news program Panorama on March 27 claimed that opposition
protesters on March 25 punched and kicked the BT media crew,
causing one "head injuries." The pro-government Belarusian
Union of Journalist condemned the incident. Witnesses and
independent journalists report that protesters only threw
snowballs at the media crew. The Belarusian Association of
Journalists on March 28 reported that as many as 41
independent journalists, including 12 foreigners, were
arrested, fined, or assaulted in Belarus between March 14 and

27.
Krol