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