VYACHORKA AND SIVCHIK RELEASED; TRIAL MARCH 23

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000221 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV BO SUBJECT: VYACHORKA AND SIVCHIK RELEASED; TRIAL MARCH 23 REF: MINSK 218 Classified By: DCM Jonathan Moore for reason 1.4 (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Belarusian National Front (BNF) leader Vintsuk Vyachorka and opposition activist Vyacheslav Sivchik were unexpectedly released on March 14 at 18:00 from the Okryestina detention facility. However, they are scheduled to appear in court on March 23 on "petty hooliganism" charges. Human rights lawyers and BNF activists suspect the GOB released the opposition leaders to avoid a scandal during the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation visit to Minsk. The immediate show of concern from the USG and EU may have also played a role. End summary. GOB Wanted to Save Face In Front of OSCE -------------- ¶2. (C) On March 13, security forces arrested Belarusian National Front (BNF) leader Vintsuk Vyachorka and opposition activist Vyacheslav Sivchik separately without reason and kept them overnight at the Okryestina detention facility. (Note: As reported in reftel, authorities refused to give relatives, reporters, colleagues and U.S. and EU diplomats -- all of whom who gathered at the Sovetskiy district court -- information on the opposition leaders' whereabouts. End note.) They were released at 18:00 after court officials allegedly found inaccuracies in their arrest reports filed by law enforcement officials. According to the arrest reports, OMON riot police officers in plain clothes, who just happened to be walking in Vyachorka's neighborhood, overheard the BNF leader using obscenities while standing near the entrance of his home. As the OMON officers confronted Vyachorka, he directed his obscenities towards them and, therefore, was arrested. OMON officers in plain clothes also allegedly observed Sivchik shouting obscenities and urinating on Yakub Kolas Square. Lawyer of the human rights group "Vyasna" Vladimir Lobkovich in a March 15 conversation with Poloff called the charges absolutely ridiculous and an indicator of the extent to which authorities will go to disrupt opposition activities. Vyachorka "Ambushed" -------------- ¶3. (C) Vyachorka on March 15 described to Poloff how five security service officers ambushed him as he and his nine-year-old daughter approached the entrance of his house. He was immediately taken to the Okryestina detention center and told he was arrested for hooliganism charges. Until his release, Vyachorka remained at Okryestina without being questioned or taken to a police station for processing, as is normal practice. At 17:30 on March 14, Okryestina authorities told Vyachorka and Sivchik that they were being released because court officials found "inaccuracies" in their arrest reports. However, they would have to appear in court on March 23. Vyachorka commented to Poloff that it was obvious the court and Okryestina officials did not have full information on the nature of his and Sivchik's arrest. The Absurdity of the Charges -------------- ¶4. (C) Both Lobkovich and Vyachorka stressed to Poloff that authorities most likely released the opposition leaders so that the visiting delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) would not have a precedent to question the GOB's commitment to democracy. (Note: The OSCE delegation, headed by Uta Zapf, arrived in Belarus on March 15 for a workshop on creating dialogue between Belarus and the European Union within the framework of the EU Neighborhood Policy. End note.) Trial Date Set, Verdict Already Clear -------------- ¶5. (C) Lobkovich and Vyachorka argued that the arrests were part of the GOB's plan to obstruct preparations for the opposition's March 25 demonstration. Although the opposition activists were now free, Lobkovich predicted that their March 23 court session would result in a conviction and jail time, which would prevent them from participating in the demonstration. Vyachorka, noting that he was the head of the demonstration's organizing committee, vowed to press forward with March 25 preparations and was not intimidated by the MINSK 00000221 002 OF 002 GOB's tactics. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) The circumstances surrounding Vyachorka's and Sivchik's arrest and charges only strengthen our conclusion that the incident was a petty and senseless act on the part of the regime. Vyachorka expressed gratitude for our support and for the U.S. commitment to democracy in Belarus. Post plans to attend the March 23 court proceedings, which we too expect to end in convictions and brief jail time. Moore