Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MINSK101
2007-02-02 07:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Minsk
Cable title:
CLINTON BENCH AT KURAPATY MASSACRE SITE VANDALIZED AGAIN
how-toVZCZCXYZ0005 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHSK #0101 0330751 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 020751Z FEB 07 FM AMEMBASSY MINSK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5595 INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 3573 RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 3818 RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0031 RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
UNCLAS MINSK 000101
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: CLINTON BENCH AT KURAPATY MASSACRE SITE VANDALIZED AGAIN
UNCLAS MINSK 000101
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: CLINTON BENCH AT KURAPATY MASSACRE SITE VANDALIZED AGAIN
1. (U) During a January 27 trip to the Kurapaty Stalin-era massacre
site, DCM and visiting EUR/UMB Office Director Robert Boehme
discovered that the bench presented in 1994 by former U.S. President
Bill Clinton on behalf of the United States to the people of Belarus
had been vandalized again. The top of the bench was broken into
pieces and vandals removed one of the pieces from the site.
According to historian and researcher Igor Kuznetsov, this attack is
at least the 12th time the bench has been vandalized. On January
30, Kuznetsov told Poloff that while GOB guards allegedly patrol the
memorial site, they did not report the attack to the police.
According to Kuznetsov, the police do not have any suspects in the
case.
2. (SBU) To better protect the bench, Kuznetsov suggested that the
Embassy urge the GOB to increase its patrols of the memorial site or
erect a fence around the bench. [Comment: A fence would defeat the
purpose of the bench -- a place to sit to contemplate Stalinist
crimes -- and would offer a larger target for extremists. End
comment.] Given the regularity of the attacks on the bench and the
GOB's ineffective protection of the bench, we are considering the
possibility of transferring the bench on a temporary basis to the
Embassy compound. We would return the bench to the Kurapaty site
when a democratic government is in place.
STEWART
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: CLINTON BENCH AT KURAPATY MASSACRE SITE VANDALIZED AGAIN
1. (U) During a January 27 trip to the Kurapaty Stalin-era massacre
site, DCM and visiting EUR/UMB Office Director Robert Boehme
discovered that the bench presented in 1994 by former U.S. President
Bill Clinton on behalf of the United States to the people of Belarus
had been vandalized again. The top of the bench was broken into
pieces and vandals removed one of the pieces from the site.
According to historian and researcher Igor Kuznetsov, this attack is
at least the 12th time the bench has been vandalized. On January
30, Kuznetsov told Poloff that while GOB guards allegedly patrol the
memorial site, they did not report the attack to the police.
According to Kuznetsov, the police do not have any suspects in the
case.
2. (SBU) To better protect the bench, Kuznetsov suggested that the
Embassy urge the GOB to increase its patrols of the memorial site or
erect a fence around the bench. [Comment: A fence would defeat the
purpose of the bench -- a place to sit to contemplate Stalinist
crimes -- and would offer a larger target for extremists. End
comment.] Given the regularity of the attacks on the bench and the
GOB's ineffective protection of the bench, we are considering the
possibility of transferring the bench on a temporary basis to the
Embassy compound. We would return the bench to the Kurapaty site
when a democratic government is in place.
STEWART