US embassy cable - 05MINSK1148

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 001148 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/15 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV,BO 
SUBJECT: Beaten Zubr Hospitalized 
 
 
Classified by Ambassador George Krol for Reasons 1.4 (B,D) 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: Nikita Sasim, one of the Zubr youth 
group's coordinators, was punched several times by OMON 
riot police as they dispersed a protest September 16.  He 
went to the hospital that evening and was diagnosed with a 
concussion.  He will remain in hospital until September 22. 
Zubr claims police hit or kicked six other Zubr members at 
the demonstration, although none were seriously hurt.  End 
summary. 
 
2. (C) The United Civic Party conducted a Chain of Concern 
on October Square on September 16, the sixth anniversary of 
the disappearance and probable murder of Viktor Gonchar and 
Anatoly Krasovsky.  Approximately 100 people from the 5+ 
coalition and the Zubr and Malady Front youth groups 
participated.  They were met by 25 plainclothes BKGB and 40 
uniformed OMON.  In recent protests OMON have formed a line 
to push protesters off the square and down the street.  To 
counter this, the opposition protested in four shifts, with 
a new line forming each time the previous was pushed away. 
Emboff observers stated this new tactic clearly frustrated 
the police. 
 
3. (C) Zubr's Aleksandr Atroshchenkau told Econoff the OMON 
immediately seized the flag Sasim was waving, but left him 
the stick it was hung on.  Sasim therefore began to wave 
his jean jacket.  Atroshchenkau believes this aggravated 
the OMON, who punched Sasim several times in the head as 
they pushed the protesters off the square.  Atroshchenkau 
claimed six other Zubr members were also punched or kicked, 
but none were seriously hurt.  Human rights lawyer Vladimir 
Labkovich, from the Vyasna NGO, reported to Econoff that he 
witnessed these beatings.  Emboffs who attended did not see 
any violence, most likely because other demonstrators 
surrounded those being hit.  There were no arrests. 
 
4. (C) According to Atroshchenkau, Sasim began to feel 
unwell after the protest and went to the hospital that 
evening, where he was diagnosed with a concussion.  He is 
expected to be released September 22. 
 
5. (C) Comment: In recent years police have broken up many 
protests, but generally left the Chains of Concern alone. 
In the past several months OMON have started pushing 
demonstrators at the Chains of Concern off the square, in 
some cases herding them for over a mile away from the site. 
September 16 was the first time OMON used violence against 
any of these demonstrators.  As the 2006 presidential 
elections draw nearer, and Lukashenko becomes more 
obviously paranoid about the West and the opposition, such 
violence is likely to be repeated. 
 
 
KROL