RUSSIAN POSTAL SERVICE FIRES OPPOSITION ACTIVIST FOR

UNCLAS ST PETERSBURG 000090 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: RS PHUM SUBJECT: RUSSIAN POSTAL SERVICE FIRES OPPOSITION ACTIVIST FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITIES ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The St. Petersburg branch of the Federal Postal Service forced an employee to resign on June 24, reportedly after its management discovered information regarding his past political activities. Both the company and the employee publicly stated that the "separation" was based on mutual agreement. But, off-the-record, postal management revealed that the order to dismiss the employee had originated in Moscow and was politically motivated. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU). Yevgeniy Konovalov, Chairman of the Russian Social-Democrat Youth Union (RSDSM) and a member of the Union of Social Democrats (SSD, founded in 2007 and chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev),recently reported to Poloff that he was fired on June 24 from the St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast office of the Federal Postal Service (UFPS) on political grounds. ¶3. (SBU) Konovalov is an important local dissident activist, and as leader of the RSDSM organization maintains contact with numerous other activists from various political parties, youth organizations and labor unions in St. Petersburg, other parts of Russia, and internationally. He has played an instrumental role in organizing the annual anti-racism movie festival "Open Your Eyes" (most recently held in St. Petersburg this past March) as well as the anti-government street rallies known as the "Marches of Dissenters." He is also a founder of Xenophobia.net, a movement which attempts to draw politically disaffected youth into productive counter-racist activities. In 2008, Konovalov travelled to the U.S. as part of the international visitor program "Young Politicians and Activists in Northwestern Russia City Governments." ¶4. (SBU) Konovalov began working at UFPS as the head of the advertising and marketing section in early June. He had relevant higher education and job experience in advertising, including a number of previous marketing positions in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to Konovalov, the management of UFPS was satisfied with his performance during his brief employment, and he had already implemented some changes which had improved the local office's marketing policies. ¶5. (SBU) Konovalov's problems at UFPS began abruptly on June 23, when a member of management researched his past on the internet and discovered Konovalov's connection with various opposition organizations, and in particular his key role in organizing the "Marches of Dissenters." Konovalov told us that management also discovered that he and RSDSM in 2007 had supported a labor strike against the St. Petersburg postal service itself. (Note: The strike ended with the dismissal of all labor union activists.) Postal management was also upset, according to Konovalov, to find out that in October, 2008, RSDSM had signed a joint declaration with the Georgian Youth Socialists Union which condemned both Russian and Georgian violence during the South Ossetian conflict. ¶6. (SBU) Management informed Konovalov that the Russian Postal Service barred all postal transfers to Georgia as a matter of policy, and that they were not willing to employ someone who maintained any communication with that country. Konovalov's manager specifically warned him that, because the postal service was now aware of his participation in opposition political circles, he should be ready to face the consequences of those actions. According to Konovalov, all of these "findings" regarding his political activity were forwarded immediately to Moscow. Late in the afternoon on June 23, the Director of the St. Petersburg office received a telephone call from a high-level postal management representative in Moscow with instructions to fire Konovalov immediately. ¶7. (SBU) Konovalov was fired the next day. A management representative explained to him, in the presence of other employees, that the sudden dismissal was the result of Konovalov's past political activities. Nevertheless, postal management requested Konovalov sign a protocol stating that his separation was based on mutual agreement. Konovalov was told that if he refused to sign the protocol, he would be fired with prejudice - thus spoiling his employment records and future employability. Konovalov agreed to sign the protocol, as he also knew he was still within the probationary period of his new job, and hence it would have been easy for management to dismiss him anyway. ¶8. (SBU) On June 29, as reported by the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta," Mikhail Gorbachev spoke in support of his SSD movement colleague: "I am not only surprised but also outraged. [...] Russian citizens should firmly stand against such violations of their constitutional rights." ¶9. (SBU) UFPS categorically denies having dismissed Konovalov due to political considerations and refers to the above-mentioned mutual agreement protocol as the legal grounds for the company's action. Moreover, as has been reported in the local press, UFPS considers Konovalov's claim that he was fired on political grounds to be slanderous, though as of yet there have been no reports that UFPS will pursue any legal action along those lines. Konovalov, in turn, plans to consult with a lawyer to explore his options regarding the possibility of suing the UFPS or filing a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office. ¶10. (SBU) This event is not the first time Konovalov has been harassed by governmental authorities for his political activities. In 2008, Konovalov reported that local MVD officers had talked to him on orders from the regional GUVD Chief Vladislav Piotrovsky. They advised him against any further participation in street protests and requested he present himself at a police station for further discussion of his political activities. Nothing came of this, as Konovalov heard nothing from governmental authorities after he made a public statement through "Echo Moskvy" radio stating what had happened. ¶11. (SBU) Comment. If Konovalov's allegations are true, and we have no reason to suspect they are not, his firing from a non-political job because of his political activities represents another serious step in the wrong direction. Konovalov's chances of prevailing in the court system (if he chooses to go that route) to get compensation for what happened to him are slight, given that he signed the protocol letter which gives legal cover to the postal authorities. End Comment. GWALTNEY