FREED POLITICAL PRISONER AVTUKHOVICH DISCUSSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000050 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR BO SUBJECT: FREED POLITICAL PRISONER AVTUKHOVICH DISCUSSES PRISON, PLANS Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reason 1.4 (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Ambassador met January 24 with entrepreneur Nikolay Avtukhovich, the first of three recently released political prisoners (reftel). Avtukhovich discussed his imprisonment, terms of his release, and his future plans. His fighting spirit intact, he plans to continue his struggle against oppression and to highlight the injustice of the judicial system. End summary. "They Control Every Step" -------------- ¶2. (C) On January 24, Ambassador met with Nikolay Avtukhovich, an entrepreneur from the Grodno region who had been sentenced in July 2006 to three and a half years in high-security prison for alleged tax evasion. Avtukhovich, one of six political prisoners, was suddenly released from prison January 18. He described the terms of his release as a "new form of punishment" somewhere between khimya (work-release) and house arrest. "They control every step," he said, mentioning that he is currently required to report to his local police station every morning, and must return to his residence at seven every evening. His trip to MINSK required special permission from the authorities and a stamp from MINSK police when he arrived. ¶3. (C) Upon his release, officials informed him that he is still required to pay back taxes amounting to USD 1 million. Authorities also earlier confiscated a significant amount of business and personal property. Avtukhovich said he has no plans to pay the money he supposedly owes, and will fight to recover the confiscated property. Life on the Inside -------------- ¶4. (C) Avtukhovich discussed his life in prison at length. He did not complain about his treatment, and he said guards did allow access to outside information, including the independent newspapers "Belarusy i Rynok" and "Narodnaya Volya." Most of his fellow inmates, in his opinion, were imprisoned as scapegoats for authorities "who simply needed to catch someone" for crimes, and those who had committed actual offenses seemed to have received excessive sentences. In his opinion, many were jailed "for essentially nothing." ¶5. (C) Though he had no particular complaints about the physical treatment of prisoners, he did note that inmates experienced difficulty filing complaints and appeals to authorities. Prison officials often collected legal petitions and refused to forward them to the appropriate offices. Prisoners were able to successfully file such documents only with the help of sympathetic employees of the prison educational facility who were willing to smuggle papers out. ¶6. (C) In October, prison officials approached Avtukhovich offering him a chance to buy his freedom. According to the offer, officials would release him from prison if he agreed to pay a USD 25,000 "fee" and a five million ruble (USD 2,330) administrative fine, and submit a written admission of guilt. Avtukhovich said he responded with a rude hand gesture. Signing Papers, Not Knowing Why -------------- ¶7. (C) Avtukhovich described the circumstances leading to his release. Authorities summoned him from his cell to sign some papers, providing no explanation of the documents or reasons for the unusual request. Two hours after signing the documents, guards informed him that he would be released the following afternoon. Prison officials gave no explanation for the unexpected release. "New Belarusian Partisans of the 21st Century" -------------- - ¶8. (C) When asked about future plans, Avtukhovich stated that he has no intention to file any appeals or complaints regarding the sentence or current conditions for release, though he will fight to recoup the significant amount of property that authorities appropriated. "I plan to prove that I was robbed," he said. However, he acknowledged that future arrest is a very real possibility. "I will wait until my (seventeen year-old) daughter is out of school and out of MINSK 00000050 002 OF 002 the country" before he takes serious steps to confront the regime. ¶9. (C) Following up on specific threats he faces, Avtukhovich mentioned that members of the Organized Crime section of the local police warned him to keep a low profile now that he is free. They referred to a series of arson attacks in the Grodno region for which they still consider him a suspect. Avtukhovich alleges, however, that police found the real perpetrator and "beat him for a week" in an attempt to force a statement that Avtukhovich was the culprit. ¶10. (C) Avtukhovich plans several future projects. First, he intends to document the injustices of the Belarusian judicial system. He says he met dozens of fellow inmates in prison, including a former government worker involved in rigging ballots, who are willing to speak out against the system on camera. He is also planning to work with "Narodnaya Volya" to expose corruption in the system. He stated that he knows "a hundred people who will help" and who may become the "new Belarusian partisans of the twenty-first century." Secondly, he plans to revive a Volkovysk-based opposition newspaper he financed before his imprisonment. His colleagues have already begun setting up websites for the paper. "My Name Works For Me Now" -------------- ¶11. (C) When Ambassador mentioned that the Embassy's Small Grants Program may be useful in helping restart his newspaper, Avtukhovich replied that he plans to finance the operation himself. "There are several people in Russia who owe (Avtukhovich) money," which he hopes to use for future endeavors. "There is plenty of work out there and I have a lot of ideas. Besides, my name works for me now." When asked his opinion about an Embassy visit to his hometown, Avtukhovich replied with two thumbs up, saying "I'll have the shashlik ready." Comment: Entrepreneurial Spirit -------------- ¶12. (C) His entrepreneurial spirit and courage intact, Avtukhovich shows no sign of cowering to the threats of the regime. Though not currently a leader or member of any organized opposition group, Avtukhovich may turn out to be a new force for the opposition in Belarus simply as a former political prisoner. STEWART