US embassy cable - 05MINSK939

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000939 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, ECON, BO 
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - August 03, 2005 
 
 
1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled 
by Embassy Minsk over the past week. 
 
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Human Rights 
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2.  Statkevich Begins Sentence 
 
On July 29, opposition politician Nikolai Statkevich 
arrived in Baranovichi to serve his two-year restricted 
freedom sentence for staging unauthorized 
demonstrations.  Authorities moved Statkevich to 
Baranovichi from Krupki so that his ill father could 
easily visit him.  Statkevich will live in prison 
barracks, work ironing clothes, and report to the local 
administration at an appointed time each day. 
Authorities banned Statkevich from working for a private 
company, claiming he had to work for a state-owned 
enterprise, although there is no law to support this. 
The authorities reportedly offered to reduce his 
sentence if he would abstain from political activities, 
but Statkevich refused. 
 
3.  Partial Victory 
 
On July 29, Gomel's Central District Court ruled in 
favor of opposition activist Maria Bogdanovich and 
ordered the Gomel Regional Local History Museum to pay 
her two months' back wages.  The museum fired 
Bogdanovich in May for "repeated failure to carry out 
her labor contract duties without valid reason", but 
Bogdanovich claimed it was due to her political 
activities.  The Court, noting an "unsound psychological 
climate" at the museum, ordered the administration to 
pay the wage arrears and change the wording on 
Bogdanovich's record to "dismissal by mutual consent". 
 
4.  Activists Detained 
 
On July 30, police in Dokshitsy briefly detained 
Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) leader Vintsuk Vyachorka 
and party member Aleksey Kovalets for alleged 
distribution of newspapers and bulletins.  According to 
Vyachorka, the police ransacked their car and seized 
copies of the registered newspapers Salidarnasts, Zhoda, 
and the BPF's bulletin.  The activists were released and 
not charged. 
 
5.  A Sanctioned Punch 
 
On July 31, the Prosecutor's Office dismissed Svetlana 
Zavadskaya's request to initiate criminal proceedings 
against an OMON guard who punched her during a July 7 
demonstration marking the fifth anniversary of her 
husband's disappearance.  Police and the Prosecutor's 
Office found no ground for a criminal case, siding with 
the OMON officer in question, who said he was merely 
trying to calm Zavadskaya after she had hit him. 
Zavadskaya plans to appeal the decision.  On August 1, 
the OMON peacefully dispersed a demonstration in support 
of Zavadskaya. 
 
6.  Independent Paper Fined 
 
On July 26, independent daily Belorusskaya Delovaya 
Gazeta (BDG) announced that tax authorities had fined 
BDG USD 21,700 in penalties for alleged irregularities 
in tax payments.  BDG claimed its accountants strictly 
followed the Finance Ministry's guidelines and that the 
fines were the authorities' attempt to force the paper's 
closure using economic pressure. 
 
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Economics 
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7.  Executives Charged 
 
On August 1, Brest Regional Prosecutor's Office charged 
top executives of two animal feed plants with 
overstating output figures in statistical reports.  The 
director of Beryoza Animal Feed Plant allegedly 
undercharged a the company bakery, costing the plant USD 
4,179, and bought Ukrainian corn at a higher price than 
offered by a Belarusian company, resulting in USD 17,241 
in losses. 
 
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Anti-US 
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MINSK 00000939  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
8.  US Money Helps Opposition 
 
On July 31, "journalist" Ruslan Poddubski on the state 
television channel ONT reported that opposition 
politicians are surviving off money from the US. 
Poddubski accused United Civic Party leader Anatoly 
Lebedko of not working because the US Embassy pays him 
USD 1,500 monthly in living expenses.  According to 
Poddubski, the West knowingly violates international 
laws against allocating money for political needs by 
helping Belarus' opposition. 
 
9.  Americans Spread Conflict 
 
On July 31, Gleb Volkov's article in the military 
newspaper Vo Slavu Rodiny accused Americans of spreading 
danger, not democracy.  According to Volkov, the USG's 
policy is to pit pro-American regimes against other 
countries in the region.  He cited the use of Egypt and 
Saudi Arabia against the Iraqi regime and warned that 
the U.S.'s behavior would only increase radical Islamic 
movements and terrorism. 
 
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Relations with Poland 
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10.  Sister Cities Conflict 
 
On July 29, city authorities in Wroclaw and Lublin, 
Poland, withdrew sister city agreements with Grodno and 
Brest, respectively, in response to the GOB's 
persecution of the Union of Belarusian Poles (UBP). 
Wroclaw authorities claimed the decision would not 
affect Grodno residents and announced that 40 Grodno 
children would still visit Wroclaw for an August 
holiday.  Lublin authorities cancelled a visit to Brest 
and vowed not to resume ties until Belarus-Poland 
relations normalized.  According to counselor at the 
Belarusian Embassy in Warsaw Tadeusz Struzhetsky, more 
than 60 Belarusian cities, districts and regions 
continue to maintain ties with 80 cities, districts and 
regions in Poland. 
 
11.  Poles Go to Prison 
 
On August 2, police arrested Tadeusz Gawin, the first 
chairman of the UBP, and deputy head of the UBP Wieslaw 
Kiewlak, sentencing them both to 15 days in jail for 
participating in an unauthorized demonstration.  Over 
100 people attended the August 1 demonstration at the 
House of Poles in Grodno, including the vice president 
of Poland's Sejm, Donald Tusk.  Gawin criticized the 
GOB's decision not to recognize the March UBP convention 
and to force a new, government-controlled convention on 
August 27.  He called on UBP members to support 
Andzhelika Boris and the UBP leadership elected in 
March. 
 
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Miscellaneous 
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12.  Radiation Reduction 
 
On July 28, the Cooperation for Rehabilitation (CORE) 
program announced that it has helped reduce the maximum 
radiation intake levels among residents tenfold in the 
Chernobyl-hit Bragin district.  However, the average 
radiation dose in the district remained at 30 Becquerel 
per kilogram.  The project examined 8,000 residents over 
two years with Human Radiation Meters (HRM) installed at 
the district's two Radiation Control Centers (RCC). 
Several children were diagnosed with high radiation 
doses.  CORE hopes to open two new RCCs, install an HRM 
at the district hospital, and launch a mobile HRM. 
 
13.  New Modeling Rules 
 
On July 29, Prime Minister Sergey Sidorsky signed a 
resolution on a new set of license regulations for 
modeling agencies in accordance with the March 
presidential decree on preventing trafficking in 
persons.  Under the new regulations, 80 percent of 
agency staff must have degrees in pedagogy, healthcare, 
physical culture, tourism, art or design.  This also 
includes hairdressers, manicurists and stylists who must 
have at least five years' professional experience. 
Agencies must have a set curriculum and program of 
studies for each discipline, specialized educational 
 
MINSK 00000939  003 OF 003 
 
 
facilities and workshops. 
 
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Quote of the Week 
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14.  On August 3, Interior Minister Lieutenant-General 
Vladimir Naumov outlined the ideal behavior of police 
officers. 
 
"Police must use polite means to beat confessions out of 
criminals.  A polite and considerate police officer can 
succeed in persuading a criminal to confess. 
[Unfortunately] There are still police officers swearing 
like troopers." 
 
KROL