JUST-RELEASED POLITICAL PRISONER DASHKEVICH MEETS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 000060

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR BO
SUBJECT: JUST-RELEASED POLITICAL PRISONER DASHKEVICH MEETS
WITH AMBASSADOR

Classified By: Charge Jonathan Moore for reason 1.4 (d).

Summary
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1. (C) Ambassador met January 29 with opposition youth
organization Malady Front (MF) leader Dmitriy Dashkevich, the
second of three recently released political prisoners.
Dashkevich discussed his imprisonment and his plans for
re-assuming leadership of MF, and expressed his gratitude to
the EMBASSY for its support. End summary.

A "Supreme Court" Decision
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2. (C) On January 29, Ambassador met with Dmitriy
Dashkevich, leader of the opposition youth organization
Malady Front, who had been sentenced in November 2006 to 18
months in a minimum-security prison for leading an
unregistered organization. Dashkevich, one of six
internationally recognized political prisoners, was suddenly
released from prison January 23 three months before his term
was to expire. There appear to be no conditions or
restrictions on his freedom like those imposed on
recently-released political prisoner Nikolay Avtukhovich (ref
A). Dashkevich did not rule out future restrictions,
however, as authorities notified him the day before his
release that they may bring new charges against him. When
inquiring about the reason for his release, prison officials
simply told Dashkevich that "it was the decision of the
Supreme Court" to change the sentence from 18 to 12 months.
They offered no explanation why he served fourteen months.


3. (C) According to Dashkevich, living conditions inside the
prison, though far from comfortable, were not as rough as
expected. He was allowed access to printed media sources
from an approved list which included independent publications
"Belarusy i Rynok" and "Komsomolskaya Pravda." Authorities
also allowed visits from a pastor.

Return to the Front
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4. (C) In response to the Ambassador's praise the acting
head of Malady Front, Dashkevich said "Dmitriy Fedaruk is a
courageous man. I entrusted him with important tasks because
he has a strong sense of responsibility and strong Christian
values. He will play a large role in the future of Belarus."
Because Fedaruk is currently serving a 15-day sentence on
hooliganism charges, the two have not been able to talk
directly since Dashkevich's release (ref B). They plan to
meet February 1 after Fedaruk's release to discuss the future
of their organization.

Gratitude for EMBASSY Assistance
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5. (C) Dashkevich thanked Ambassador for the Embassy's
support during his incarceration, which "truly helps maintain
the spirits of those in jail." He urged Ambassador to
continue pressuring the regime and to keep the issue of
political prisoners at the forefront. Dashkevich stressed
that though pressuring Lukashenko to hold free and fair
elections is important, he is not optimistic because of the
Lukashenko's "addiction to power." Concentrating efforts on
reducing government persecution of opposition activists may
prove more successful, he said. Dashkevich also mentioned
that he found the German Marshall Fund to be particularly
helpful to his organization's efforts.

Comment
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6. (C) Though always the leader of Malady Front in spirit --
even from jail -- Dashkevich's release marks his return to
practical leadership of the group. With the leader quickly
gaining energy after his release from prison and his deputy
Fedaruk more seasoned and experienced, we can expect Malady
Front to exhibit increased levels of activism.
MOORE