US embassy cable - 05MINSK1193

UNCLAS MINSK 001193 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, BO 
SUBJECT:  Narodnaya Volya Hits Rock Bottom 
 
Refs: A) Minsk 300, B) Minsk 921 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: A district court froze independent 
newspaper Narodnaya Volya's bank account and assets on 
September 27.  The court also demanded it pay BYR 100 
million damages awarded to a government official in a June 
lawsuit.  With its account frozen and little time to collect 
the needed sum, Narodnaya Volya (NV) appealed to its readers 
for help.  Within 24 hours, NV gathered 70 percent of the 
money and transferred it to the appropriate official. 
However, minutes after the transaction, a state-owned 
distributing company and three publishing houses annulled 
their contracts with NV without giving the required one- 
month notice.  An NV journalist viewed the recent events as 
part of the GOB's plan to close NV and told Poloff that they 
would be able to print the September 29 and September 30 
issues, but doubt they would be able to continue their work 
in October.  End summary 
 
2. (U) On September 27, the Minsk Leninsky District Court 
froze independent newspaper Narodnaya Volya's (circulation 
30,000) bank account and assets, including the paper for 
printing.  The freeze, according to the court, was to force 
NV to pay BYR 100 million in damages for allegedly defaming 
MP and Liberal Democratic Party leader Sergei Gaidukevich 
(reftels).  The Minsk City Court threw out NV's appeal to 
pay the defamation charges on September 15 and did not 
notify the paper of the decision until September 19.  Editor- 
in-Chief Joseph Seredich filed an appeal on September 23 at 
the Supreme Court and was awaiting a response when the 
district court froze NV's account. 
 
3. (SBU) The court demanded NV pay the damages owed to 
Gaidukevich, but the newspaper had not been given a new 
deadline or time to collect the necessary amount.  Seredich 
appealed to NV readers on September 27 for financial help 
and managed to collect over BYR 70 million (USD 32,500) by 
September 28.  Svetlana Kalinkina of NV told Poloff in a 
September 29 phone conversation that a steady flow of 
businessmen, individuals, and pensioners came to NV 
headquarters to give donations. 
 
4. (U) On September 28, literally minutes after NV 
transferred BYR 70 million to Gaidukevich, Belasoyuzpechat - 
Belarus' state monopoly of press kiosks and newsstands - 
notified NV that its distribution contract with 
Belasoyuzpechat would be annulled on October 1 because of 
NV's alleged violations of media law.  Later in the day, the 
Minsk printing companies Krasnaya Zvezda and 
Minskgoroyuzpechat annulled its contract with NV.  On 
September 29, Kalinkina notified Poloff that another 
publishing company, Minsk Oblast Soyuzpechat also cancelled 
its contract.  According to Belarusian law, contract 
terminations require notices one month in advance.  NV's 
contract with the federal mail service Belpochta, which 
delivers the newspaper to subscribers, is still valid. 
 
5. (SBU) Kalinkina believes that the GOB did not expect NV 
to pay the BYR 100 million fine, especially at such short 
notice.  Only when NV began paying the fine did the 
authorities get frustrated and resort to annulling all NV's 
distribution and printing contracts.  Lawyer for the 
Belarusian Association of Journalist Pustakhov told Poloff 
on September 29 that NV would be able to publish its 
September 29 and September 30 issues, but would probably be 
unable to continue with its normal activities in October 
unless it finds another publisher.  Currently, NV is 
negotiating with other publishing houses, but Kalinkina 
predicts NV will begin publishing abroad, either in Vilnius 
or Smolensk. 
 
6. (SBU) Comment:  The court's unexpected and harsh actions 
towards NV and the simultaneous cancellation of NV contracts 
with state-controlled companies may indicate that the GOB 
has initiated a final assault on the few remaining 
independent newspapers.  Narodnaya Volya has been fined and 
under legal pressure before, but it has always managed to 
continue its activities.  NV probably would have been able 
to pay the BYR 100 million fine, even with the unexpected 
bank account and property freeze, but it appears that the 
authorities are willing to go the extra mile to ensure NV's 
demise. 
 
7. (SBU) Comment Cont'd: It is worth noting that several 
officials in the MFA have told us they read NV and other 
independent newspapers to stay informed of developments in 
the opposition camp.  We also believe they read the non- 
state newspapers to receive more objective information. 
Perhaps the regime has now determined that the perceived 
political costs associated with keeping a few independent 
newspapers (barely) alive outweigh the benefits.  But as 
with Belarusian Delovaya Gazeta, NV may still stay alive via 
publication in Russia. 
 
KROL