NGO PARTNERSHIP LEADERS CONVICTED

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 000839

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2016
TAGS: BO PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: NGO PARTNERSHIP LEADERS CONVICTED

REF: MINSK 791 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Charge Jonathan Moore for reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) On August 4, Judge Leonid Yasinevich convicted four
young leaders of the election monitoring NGO "Partnerstvo"
(Partnership) for allegedly operating an illegal organization
that "infringes on the rights of the Belarusian people"
(reftel). In a courtroom open only to international
observers and family members, Nikolai Astreiko and Timofei
Dranchuk received sentences of two years and one year in
prison, respectively. Aleksandr Shalaiko and Enira
Bronitskaya were sentenced to six months' imprisonment. All
sentences include time served; since the four were arrested
on February 21, Shalaiko and Bronitskaya should be released
later this month.


2. (C) Amidst heavy security, Charge offered comfort and
condolences to family members and supporters of the accused
at Tsentralniy Courthouse, including the wives of the
accused, Paulina Astreiko and Vera Shalaiko, who are both
several months pregnant. Also present at the verdict was
German Ambassador Martin Hecker, who represented the Finnish
EU presidency, and OSCE Deputy Head of Mission Vahram
Abadjian.


3. (C) Charge gave interviews to independent Belarusian and
international media outside the courthouse under a deluge of
rain. Charge described the entire trial as politically
motivated and designed to intimidate pro-democracy forces in
Belarus. He noted that the United States will continue to
hold accountable those responsible for abuses of the rights
of Belarusian citizens. Charge called on the Belarusian
authorities to free the Partnership activists and all those
being held on politically motivated charges.


4. (C) Charge also conferred with leaders of the Belarusian
opposition present at the courthouse, including United Civic
Party (UCP) chairman Anatoly Lebedko, UCP Deputy Lyudmila
Gryaznova, and Irina Kozulina, the wife of imprisoned former
opposition presidential candidate Aleksandr Kozulin. When
asked by Charge, Mrs. Kozulina replied that authorities have
not allowed her to visit with her husband since his
imprisonment but noted that Kozulin's mother would be allowed
to visit Kozulin on her birthday. In response to Charge's
question, she expressed enthusiasm for the idea that the
Embassy seek access to Kozulin in prison.


5. (C) COMMENT: The court's decision to grant international
observers access to the verdict was a hollow gesture to the
international community, and the fact that the sentences were
not the maximum possible in this sham trial is not comfort.
The court's adamant and repeated refusal to allow the US,
OSCE, and EU Heads of Mission to observe the proceedings
prior to the verdict suggests that the regime is not willing
to risk exposing and possibly compromising BKGB sources and
methods of cracking down on prominent civic organizations to
protect its already tarnished image in the international
community.
Moore