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PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHRA #0633/01 2200902
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P 080902Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY RIGA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3232
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000633 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2016 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM PINR EUN BO LG
SUBJECT: SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE: LATVIAN MFA,S REACTION TO 
SEARCH OF LATVIAN DIPLOMAT,S APARTMENT IN MINSK 
 
REF: A. MINSK 784 
     ¶B. MINSK 796 
     ¶C. RIGA 619 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Bailey for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  Latvia believes that the recent incident 
alleging that one of its diplomats in Minsk was distributing 
pornography was a set up meant to retaliate against Latvian 
support for Belarusian NGO's and Belarusian opposition 
forces, notably while Latvia was the EU presidency 
representative to Belarus.  Though the Government of Belarus 
has yet to formally apologize, the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs did receive a document which they did not view as a 
satisfactory explanation of the July 25th events.  The 
Latvian Foreign Minister is refusing to meet the Belarusian 
Ambassador - who is newly arrived to Latvia and has expelled 
a Belarusian diplomat in retaliation.  We do not believe that 
this event will lower Latvian determination to work for 
greater openness in Belarus in the near term.  End summary. 
 
The Victim 
 
¶2. (C) PolOff met with the head of the MFA's Eastern European 
Affairs department, Liga Andersone, and discussed the Latvian 
reaction to the search of Latvian diplomat Reimo Smits' 
apartment in Minsk by Belarusian security on July 25.  Smits 
was a second secretary press officer in the Embassy. 
According to the Latvian MFA, one of the larger elements of 
Smits' portfolio was working with and providing support to 
various Belarusian NGOs, including the Latvian based 
organization Open Belarus. (Note: This is one of the 
organizations DAS Kramer met with in Riga just hours before 
the incident (reftel C).  We do not/not believe there is any 
connection between that meeting and the incident.  End note.) 
 Many of the NGOs Smits worked with are heavily involved with 
opposing the Lukashenko regime.  Smits also routinely carried 
brochures and other pamphlets produced by these NGOs into 
Belarus.  In 2004, the Belarusian government learned that 
Smits was printing various materials for the NGOs in his 
apartment.  The Government of Belarus protested, but took no 
action and nothing more was heard. However, Andersone 
believes that this was part of the catalyst which brought 
attention to Smits. 
 
¶3. (C) Andersone felt it important to mention that Smits is 
openly gay and dated in the Minsk gay community. 
Furthermore, Smits was at the end of his four year tour and 
set to depart Minsk in September. 
 
The Set Up 
 
¶4. (C) Refs a and b report the general facts of the July 25 
incident and the Latvian MFA's account tracks with the 
reporting of our colleagues in Minsk.  The MFA reports that 
the video shown on Belarusian television of Smits engaged in 
sexual relations with another man - as captured by hidden 
cameras in Smits' apartment - was indeed real.  However, the 
MFA believes that the other man in the video was a Belarusian 
security agent tasked to entrap Smits for the purpose of 
creating the embarrassing video.  Based on reporting from 
their Embassy in Minsk, the Latvians believe the pornographic 
material Smits was alleged to have had in the apartment was 
planted before the raid.  The security police entered the 
apartment almost immediately after Simts' partner left and 
the video footage of the two of them together was captured. 
According to Andersone, the door was not even closed when the 
five individuals pushed their way inside.  This is further 
proof in the MFA's mind that the liaison, video and the 
pornographic material were all part of a larger set up. 
 
¶5. (C) According to Andersone, Smits is being charged with 
the dissemination of pornographic materials and the 
Belarusian authorities are claiming that they did not know 
that he was a diplomat at the time they went into the 
apartment.  According to the Belarusian MFA, the law 
enforcement officials had a search warrant sanctioned by the 
prosecutor general based on an informant who claimed that 
pornographic material was being distributed from Smits' 
address. 
 
¶6. (C) Andersone stated that the purpose of the news program 
which showed the search and seizure of the pornographic 
material as well as the sex video was to equate 
homosexuality, pornography, and criminality with the western 
values the opposition is attempting to bring to Belarus.  The 
MFA is outraged that the Belarusian government took such 
unilateral action in clear violation of Belarus' obligations 
under the Vienna Convention. Latvia and Belarus have a Mutual 
Legal Assistance agreement and the MFA believes that, if 
these accusations of pornography distribution were genuine, 
the government of Belarus should have worked the proper 
 
RIGA 00000633  002 OF 002 
 
 
channels with the government of Latvia. 
 
The Latvian Response in Riga 
 
¶7. (C) The Latvian Ambassador to Minsk, Maira Mora, who was 
on vacation at the time this event took place, returned to 
Minsk after the event and met with the head of the Regional 
Department in the Belarusian MFA Wednesday, August 2. 
Ambassador Mora was not permitted to see the Belarusian 
Foreign Minister.  Mora has since be recalled to Riga for 
consultations. 
 
¶8. (C) FM Pabriks told Emboff August 2 that Latvia has 
expelled Belarusian diplomat Dmitri Krayushkin in 
retaliation.  Pabriks said that Krayushkin was a well known 
intelligence agent said to head up Belarusian intelligence 
operations here. (Note: Krayushkin was a first secretary 
press officer.  End note) 
 
¶9.  (C) In yet another twist in the tale, the Belarusian 
Ambassador to Latvia, Alexander Gerasimenko, left the country 
without officially informing the Latvian MFA.  He presented 
his credentials on July 20th and then returned to Minsk July 
21st.  The Belarusian government claims that his departure 
was not in order to be away during the scandal.  The 
Belarusian Embassy in Riga is claiming that they followed the 
proper diplomatic protocols and that they sent the circular 
note informing the MFA of the Ambassador's departure on July 
21st.  The MFA did not receive this note until three days 
later. Ambassador Gerasimenko was scheduled to meet with 
Pabriks on August 9th, but Pabriks has cancelled that meeting 
and is refusing to see the Ambassador at this time. 
 
¶10. (C) The Latvians are trying to line up support for their 
case in the EU.  The GOL has approached the Finnish 
Presidency and requested that the EU formally demarche the 
Belarusian government.  The EU has issued a statement 
expressing disappointment and asking for an official 
explanation by Belarus. 
 
Politics at Home 
 
¶11. (C) This situation has created some difficulties for MFA 
at home, especially in the runup to October elections. 
Pabriks, from the same party as PM Kalvitis, has come under 
attack from various internal political elements claiming that 
he is not doing enough to protect Latvian diplomats abroad or 
responding strongly enough to the current situation in Minsk. 
 At the same time, Smits' sexual orientation, which has 
become widely known, has come in to play.  Internet chat 
rooms are full of some of the same hateful speech toward 
Smits that we saw in the run up to the recent gay pride 
events.  One opposition newspaper even suggested that Pabriks 
was to blame for sending an openly gay diplomat to a country 
like Belarus.  Nevertheless, the government is treating this 
as an issue of proper diplomatic relations.  Pabriks told the 
Ambassador, however, that he was not given all the details of 
the case at the outset, likely because of the sensitivities 
with Smits' sexuality, and was disappointed with his staff 
for depriving him of all the information. 
 
¶12. (C) Comment:  This is new ground for Latvia.  They are 
not used to being in the spotlight like this for their 
activities.  The GOB appears to have targeted them for their 
support for the opposition and greater openness in Belarus. 
A few years ago, the Latvians might have tried to keep this 
quiet, but they are more confident as EU and NATO members and 
willing to fight back.  They are saying all the right things, 
both on proper diplomatic relations and on continuing support 
for building democracy in Belarus.  At least in the near 
term, we do not see any change in Latvian support for greater 
openness in Belarus resulting from this incident.  End 
Comment. 
Bailey