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" -------------- ¶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" -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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