60-YEAR-OLD POLITICAL PRISONER RELEASED

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 000502 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO SUBJECT: 60-YEAR-OLD POLITICAL PRISONER RELEASED REF: 06 MINSK 1144 Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reason 1.4 (d). ¶1. (C) On June 8, Ambassador met with Yekaterina Sadovskaya, whom authorities recently released from prison after cutting short her two-year sentence for allegedly insulting President Lukashenko (reftel). Sadovskaya expressed her deepest gratitude to the USG for leading the international effort to pressure the regime for her release. When asked, Sadovskaya described her treatment as "not bad" and credited it to the international attention on Belarusian political prisoners. With a grin, the 60-year-old human rights NGO leader also attributed her treatment to prison authorities being "afraid" of her. ¶2. (C) Comment: We were deeply moved by Sadovskaya's single-minded concern for lesser-known victims of repression, especially children, and her determination in the face of enormous pressure from the regime. We have no doubt that the GOB likely is afraid of her and all Belarusians like her who are willing to take tremendous personal risks for the cause of human rights. Stewart