FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER LEONOV MEETS WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000086

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR BO
SUBJECT: FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER LEONOV MEETS WITH
AMBASSADOR

REF: A. MINSK 049

B. MINSK 050

Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reason 1.4 (d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Ambassador met February 1 with entrepreneur Yuriy
Leonov, a political prisoner who was released by the regime
January 25. Leonov discussed the conditions of his
imprisonment, his plans for the future, and expressed
gratitude to Ambassador for the Embassy's support. End
summary.

"I Hope to Find a Way to Make a Living"
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2. (C) Leonov is the third political prisoner released in as
many weeks (ref A),and is a friend and business partner of
fellow former political prisoner Nikolay Avtukhovich (ref B).
In contrast to Avtukhovich, Leonov stated that his is an
unconditional release with no restrictions on his movement.
However, he is still barred from owning a business or holding
a position of financial responsibility for five years. He
currently does not have any leads on jobs, and has stated his
priority now is to "find a way to make a living." He is
unsure if authorities will make him pay the BYR 1.09 billion
(USD 509,000) fine imposed as part of hi sentence, but vowed
not to pay one ruble.


3. (C) While in prison, authorities allowed him onlytwo
visits per year, during which no more than to adults were
allowed at a time, which meant in practice that only one of
his two adult daughters were permitted to visit him together
with his wife. Friends were not allowed to visit. Official
visits from an approved pastor were allowed twice per month.

"You Have One Hour to Pack Your Things"
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4. (C) Leonov said that his release came to him as a
complete surprise. On the afternoon of January 25 a prison
guard suddenly pulled Leonov from a line of inmates. The
guard informed him that he had one hour to pack his things
and say goodbye, because officials had authorized his release
for later that day.

Plans to Expose Injustice in Judiciary System
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5. (C) Leonov echoed Avtukhovich's plans (ref B) to
publicize the injustices of the legal system in Belarus and
to shed light on "the many people who are currently
imprisoned unjustly." The two plan to work together to
record and disseminate information regarding unjustly harsh
sentences for relatively minor crimes. Leonov pointed out
that "it's no secret that the judicial system is closely
connected to the top. In cases of unjust sentences, I
certainly don't exclude the possibility of direct orders from
high-level officials."


6. (C) Leonov vigorously shook his head when asked if he
plans to take any kind of vacation. In addition to the
above-mentioned plans, he and Avtukhovich hope to develop a
new business of their town, despite his ban on
entrepreneurial activities.

"The Entrepreneurs Have Already Lost Their Chance"
-------------- --------------


7. (C) In response to Ambassador's request for his
assessment of the latest protests led by entrepreneurs,
Leonov seemed slightly bitter. In his opinion, "they have
already lost their chance. They should have been on the
streets earlier. They've lost their moment. To prove
themselves a powerful force, they should have protested when
we were arrested." However, when asked about his opinion on
the convergence of entrepreneurs and other civil society
activists, he appeared positive. Leonov acknowledged that
the entrepreneurs stand to gain from the activists'
organizational and media experience.

Comment
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8. (C) The oppressive actions of the regime against
activists are designed to dispirit the opposition, but based
on Embassy discussions with newly-released political
prisoners, authorities are far from accomplishing that goal.

MINSK 00000086 002 OF 002


The newly reunited Avtukhovich/Leonov team, with
entrepreneurial skills and experience working together, could
become yet another element of the forces for democratic
change in Belarus.
STEWART