VZCZCXRO5904
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHSK #0580 1531013
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021013Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4492
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1169
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS MINSK 000580 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
 
SUBJECT: Opposition Activist Convicted of Sedition 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On May 25, a Milinkevich campaign worker, 
Sergei Lyashkevich, was tried in Shchuchin regional court on 
charges of inciting mass disorder. The prosecution's evidence 
included seized electronic media, written testimony, and oral 
testimony by two dubious witnesses.  Following the prosecution's 
presentation, the prosecutor requested a prison sentence of six 
months. On May 29, Sergei Lyashkevich was sentenced to five months 
in jail. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On May 25, Sergei Lyashkevich, who headed Aleksandr 
Milinkevich's presidential campaign in the western city of 
Shchuchin, was tried in Shchuchin regional court for allegedly 
violating Section 3 of Article 293 of Belarus' 2005 amended 
criminal code, which prohibits training, financing, and other 
preparations for mass disorder. Lyashkevich faced sentences ranging 
from six months' arrest to three years' restricted freedom. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Poloff accompanied a delegation from three EU missions 
(Latvia, Czech Republic, and France) to observe Lyashkevich's 
trial.  Representatives of the OSCE also observed the trial, as did 
local media and Lyashkevich supporters such as former presidential 
candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich and Vintsuk Vyachorka, Chairman of 
the Belarusian Popular Front. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The trial began with testimony from two prosecution 
witnesses, Aleksandr Burdzey and Vitaly Shkurko. The former had 
been accused of petty hooliganism three previous times. Both 
witnesses claimed that Lyashkevich trained them for participation 
in riots in Minsk.  Before Burdzey's testimony, a court officer 
read aloud a transcript of a recording of an alleged conversation 
between Burdzey and Lyashkevich. The court never played the 
recording itself during the proceedings.  Burdzey testified that 
during this conversation Lyashkevich and he discussed payment for 
his travel to Minsk on March 2 so that Burdzey could participate in 
riots.  During cross-examination by Lyashkevich's defense attorney, 
who also had represented "Malady Front" youth activist Artur 
Finkevich two weeks earlier, Burdzey was unable to answer where he 
had met Lyashkevich, why he had recorded the alleged conversation, 
or what exactly Lyashkevich had asked him to do in Minsk. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Shkurko's testimony was similar to Burdzey's in terms of 
content and inconsistency.  For example, Shkurko could not specify 
whether Lyashkevich allegedly showed him and his fellow trainees 
provocative video recordings on a computer or television.  Later, 
the judge read a letter from another witness called "Mr. Novagran" 
who described Lyashkevich as a malicious opposition activist. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Following oral and written testimony, the prosecution 
presented additional evidence which police had allegedly seized 
from Lyashkevich, including VHS tapes, DVDs, and English-language 
print materials apparently published by international civil-society 
NGOs. The court played parts of a film called "Ordinary President" 
by Yuri Khaschevatski and clips of violent police crackdowns on 
demonstrators in Minsk.  In some scenes of the video presentation, 
President Lukashenko was portrayed in caricature as a hockey player 
and farmer.  In other scenes, Lukashenko's image was juxtaposed 
with images of Hitler and Stalin. In at least one clip, 
Lukashenko's image was accompanied by the words "Stop Luka." The 
recordings also contained video interviews with anti-Lukashenko 
activists and audio of English and Russian-language protest rock 
music.  However, neither Poloff nor the members of the EU 
delegation saw anything in the video presentation that condoned or 
encouraged violence against the police or other government 
officials. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Throughout the prosecution's case, the court experienced 
several technical difficulties such as a lack of audio during video 
presentations and court officers who appeared unfamiliar with the 
fast-forward and reverse functions of the equipment.  The judge 
increasingly seemed impatient with both the substantive and 
technical aspects of the evidence. After the prosecution's case 
against Lyashkevich was complete, the prosecutor requested six 
months arrest.  The defense was given the right to cross-examine 
the witnesses. The judge announced that the verdict and sentence 
would be issued on May 29.  On May 29, Sergei Lyashkevich was 
sentenced to five months in jail. 
 
KROL