VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSK #1143/01 2971410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241410Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5267
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 3556
RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW 3414
RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 1758
RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 3792
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1320
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS MINSK 001143 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL/IRF BARTH 
DEPT FOR DRL PETER SAWCHYN 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KIRF BO
SUBJECT: PROTESTANTS PREPARED TO "FIGHT UNTIL THE END" TO 
SAVE CHURCH 
 
Ref: A) MINSK 957 
 
     B) MINSK 1119 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) On October 21, approximately 600 people gathered in 
Minsk to protest the GOB's confiscation of the New Life 
Church's (NLC) property.  Amidst heavy security presence, 
NLC Senior Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko called on the 
people to defend their right to freedom of religion.  On 
October 17, the NLC filed an appeal of the GOB's decision 
upon recommendations from the Presidential Administration. 
Despite rumors that Lukashenko supports the NLC's claim 
against the Minsk City authorities, Goncharenko promised to 
continue protesting, including the ongoing nationwide hunger 
strike, until the GOB returns the NLC's property.  The NLC's 
struggle has increasingly attracted domestic and 
international attention and support, particularly as the 
hunger strike continues.  End summary. 
 
Heavy Police Presence Did Not Deter NLC Demonstrators 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶2. (U) On October 21, approximately 500-600 people gathered 
at Friendship Park to protest the GOB's forced sale of the 
NLC building (ref A).  The crowd of families waved flags and 
banners, which demanded the government reverse its decision 
on the NLC's building and called for religious freedom in 
Belarus.  Senior Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko thanked the 
people for their support and pledged to continue their 
protests until the authorities return the building to the 
NLC.  He asked the crowd to adopt a resolution to defend 
their right to freedom of religion in Belarus, which the 
crowd readily accepted.  Representatives from the Union of 
Full Gospel Churches, the Union of Christians of Evangelical 
Faith, and the Russian Assembly of God participated in the 
demonstration. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Poloffs observed a significant security presence 
during the demonstration, including three police buses, two 
police jeeps, and one two-ton prison vehicle on alert 
approximately 500 meters from the park.  Two riot police 
officers stood on the periphery of the demonstration for 
half of the demonstration.  In order to maintain order, the 
NLC took its own "crowd-control" precautions with ushers 
patrolling the park and announcements asking participants 
not to wave flags with unregistered symbols. 
 
All Was Peaceful Back at the Building 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Despite the concerns of some church leaders, the 
authorities made no attempt to gain control of the NLC 
building while the majority of the community was at the 
demonstration.  However, the community had taken extra 
precautions to protect its property, including limiting 
access to the site and the road leading to the building and 
registering all guests.  Poloff, who visited the building 
during the demonstration, estimated approximately 60 people 
remained behind. 
 
Meeting with GOB Leads to Another Appeal 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The demonstration followed Goncharenko's October 17 
meeting with Presidential Administration Main Ideology 
Officer Oleg Proleskovskiy about the Minsk City Executive 
Committee's decision to confiscate the NLC's building and 
land.  Proleskovskiy told Goncharenko that Lukashenko was 
aware of the NLC's situation and considers it a "normal 
church in need of assistance."  Prolesovskiy insisted that 
this matter could only be solved through legal means and 
urged Goncharenko to again turn to the courts but did not 
offer any guarantees.  On October 18, the NLC filed an 
appeal on the government's decision with the Supreme 
Economic Court. 
 
Protests Will Continue Until Building is Returned to NLC 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶6. (U) At a press conference on October 19, Goncharenko 
noted that the GOB has previously made promises that went 
unfulfilled.  In an effort to ensure a victorious outcome, 
Goncharenko pledged that the NLC would not stop its hunger 
strike until it has full ownership of its building and land. 
Over 200 people, including many from churches around the 
country, have participated in a hunger strike since October 
5 to protest the forced sale of the building.  Approximately 
30 of the hunger strikers and 70 church members remain at 
the NLC building as part of a round-the-clock vigil. 
According to the NLC's press release, 36 people in cities 
throughout Belarus are also on hunger strike to support the 
NLC.  On October 19, Dr. Artem Adamenko, a Baptist physician 
who has volunteered to monitor the health of the hunger 
strikers, stated that the hunger strikers had problems with 
blood pressure, but that most were healthy.  [Note: The 
state doctors and ambulances have refused to conduct 
examinations on the hunger strikers unless there is a 
medical emergency.  End note.] 
 
Support for NLC Grows In and Out of Belarus 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) The NLC's struggle continues to attract domestic and 
international attention and support.  On October 18, Pastor 
Dmitriy Lazuta called on the 450 members of his Annunciation 
Church of the Union of Evangelical Baptist Christians in 
Belarus to observe a one-day fast to show their solidarity 
with the NLC.  Letters of support have arrived from all 
around the world, including the U.S, Europe, and Africa. 
NLC press spokesperson Inna Davydovich stated that U.S. 
Protestant believers appealed to their Congressional 
representatives to assist the church.  [Note: We have 
already responded to one such inquiry.  End note.]  At the 
October 19 press conference, Pastor Goncharenko expressed 
his gratitude for all the encouragement the church has 
received.  He noted that the NLC is willing to accept all 
support regardless of political views, citing the example of 
a monetary donation from the state run Belarusian Republican 
Youth Union (BRYU) that the church received. 
 
NLC Threatens State Television with Libel Suit 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶8. (U) On October 20, New Life sent a letter to state 
television "STV" demanding that the network grant the NLC 
airtime to refute the allegations about the hunger strike 
protest.  The NLC threatened to open a libel case against 
STV if the network did not comply.  The NLC's letter 
followed STV journalist Lyudmila Dzhurayeva's report on the 
NLC hunger strike entitled, "Strange Worshippers of a No 
Less Strange Religion," which slandered the NLC's beliefs 
and members.  STV broadcast the report on October 14 and 15 
after the NLC denied STV's news crew access to its building. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) The NLC's demonstration was extremely well- 
organized, with designated volunteers performing crowd 
control, registering participants, and distributing 
information.  Music greeted the families as they started 
arriving 30 minutes before the scheduled start time.  The 
demonstrators did not appear to be intimidated by the heavy 
security presence and instead held large, professionally- 
made signs demanding the regime reverse its decision and 
abide by the Belarusian constitution.  The increased 
security presence suggests that the authorities take the 
NLC's actions seriously.  Yet, despite promising words from 
the government and increased displays of domestic and 
international support, the outcome for the NLC remains 
uncertain.  While the NLC's meeting with the GOB indicates a 
willingness on both sides to have an open dialogue, 
Goncharenko recognizes that the regime has previously failed 
to follow through on good faith gestures (ref B), making the 
NLC's decision to "fight until the end" a prudent if not 
desperate tactic. 
 
 
STEWART