EMBASSY HOSTS VICTIMS AND FAMILIES OF KOZULIN AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000965 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO SUBJECT: EMBASSY HOSTS VICTIMS AND FAMILIES OF KOZULIN AND PARTNERSHIP TRIALS REF: A. MINSK 731 B. MINSK 839 Classified By: Charge Jonathan Moore for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) On September 1, Charge and A/DCM hosted a reception for family members of imprisoned former opposition presidential candidate Aleksandr Kozulin, recently released Partnership NGO activists Aleksandr Shalaiko and Enire Bronitskaya and their families, and the family members of still imprisoned Partnership activists Nikolai Astreiko and Timofei Dranchuk. The family members expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the USG and the American people for the Embassy's continued support of their loved ones and unanimously requested Charge and other Embassy officers to continue attempts to visit the prisoners, both together and separately. Although Shalaiko and Bronitskaya were circumspect about Belarus' upcoming local elections, they pledged to continue pro-democracy activities into the next national election. End summary. Welcome and Pledge of Continued U.S. Support -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Charge and A/DCM formally began the reception with opening remarks. A/DCM welcomed the victims of repression to his home and noted with great sadness the absence of the three still unjustly imprisoned (reftels). Charge communicated to the guests the USG's and the American people's respect and admiration for their courage and that of their imprisoned loved ones. He pledged continued U.S. pressure on the GOB to release Kozulin, Astreiko, and Dranchuk, and all prisoners of conscience in Belarus, and regretted their absence from the gathering. Charge recounted for the guests his effort on August 30 to visit with Kozulin, Astreiko, and Dranchuk at Minsk's Volodarskogo jail and promised the families that the Embassy would continue to seek access, if the families supported such attempts. Embassy Efforts to Visit with and GOB Treatment of Prisoners -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Mrs. Kozulina and her daughter, Yuliya, expressed their deepest appreciation to Charge for his attempt to visit Dr. Kozulin and requested that the Embassy continue its efforts. Nikolai Astreiko's mother thanked Charge for the continuous Embassy presence during the Partnership trial and noted that her son had seen Charge and Poloff through a courtroom window during the trial. Bronitskaya and Shalaiko echoed Mrs. Astreiko and told Charge that their colleagues still in Volodarskogo were aware and very grateful for the Embassy's efforts. Valery Dranchuk, father of Timefei Dranchuk, related with gratitude to Poloffs that the authorities had moved his son and other three Partnership leaders to better jail cells because of USG pressure since February 21. GOB Treatment and Conditions of Prisoners -------------- ¶4. (C) Responding to A/DCM's query about her husband's condition, Kozulina confirmed reports that Kozulin's vision continues to degenerate and revealed that he is suffering from heart problems. She explained that Kozulin's health problems, particularly those of his vision, were the result of his conditions at the Zhodino detention facility where he was held prior to trial and have worsened during his imprisonment at the Panski and Volodarskogo facilities. ¶5. (C) Bronitskaya confirmed to Poloffs that their conditions, including sanitation of their cells and the quality and frequency of food and water provided by prison authorities, had improved significantly as the result of Embassy's efforts. Bronitskaya characterized her treatment and conditions as "not too bad" and no worse than those of her Partnership colleagues. She noted that she was in almost continuous contact with her fellow Partnership leaders and other political prisoners in Volodarskogo jail through "various methods of communication" that she did not specify. Differences in Partnership Prison Sentences -------------- ¶6. (C) Shalaiko articulated to Charge that the court had sentenced him and Bronitskaya to prison terms less severe than those of Astreiko and Dranchuk because the judge doubted MINSK 00000965 002 OF 002 the evidence provided by the BKGB. Shalaiko noted that the Court had excluded all three fraudulent documents that the BKGB had used to link Partnership to alleged subversive activities before the trial. Shalaiko speculated that the judge imposed a much harsher sentence on Astreiko as Partnership leader to prevent the prosecutor from appealing his ruling. Partnership Plans for the Future -------------- ¶7. (C) Bronitskaya and Shalaiko told A/DCM that they believe there is great interest among the Belarusian public for future election monitoring and other pro-democracy activities in the wake of the Partnership trial. Bronitskaya expressed uncertainty whether that interest could manifest itself as a robust opposition movement in time for Belarus' municipal elections currently scheduled for January 14. However, she was confident about the opposition's future in the run up to the parliamentary elections in 2008. Shalaiko concurred with Bronitskaya and noted he would continue his efforts to raise awareness of the regime's human rights violations in regions of Belarus beyond Minsk and abroad. He noted that he was planning to travel to the United States for meetings with the National Democratic Institute (Note: Shalaiko later informed Poloff on September 5 that court authorities had prohibited him from leaving Belarus because of the trial's ongoing appeal process.) Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Although U.S. and EU diplomats in Belarus are facing increasing pressure from the regime because of their efforts to support the release of Kozulin, Astreiko, Dranchuk, and all political prisoners in Belarus, we recognize that such pressure is merely a shadow of that faced by the Belarusians fighting for democracy in their own country. We will continue to offer them and their families all appropriate support. This very special event, which helped the family members counsel and commiserate with each other, will be repeated. Moore