R 270430Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5F63
INFO RUCFOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN EUROPE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOE VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA+JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTIKN 01 OF 03 MINSK 001223 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON KTDB EPET BO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY EINSK WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - NOVEMBER 21, 
2006 
 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest cmmpiled by 
Embassy Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
INTERNATIONAL RELATIKNS 
----------------------- 
 
- Foreign Military Experts Confirm Belarus' Compliance (para. 2) 
- Belarus Still 67th in UN Human DEvelopment Ranking (para. 3) 
 
CIVIL SOCIETY 
------------- 
 
- NGO P!rtnership Leader Out of Prison (para. 4) 
- Dashkevich's Lawyer Appeals to Review His Sentence (para. 5) 
- Sergey Skrebet3 Released From Prison (para. 6)Q- Rape-Murder Charges Dropped 
Against Youth Leader (para. 7) 
- Four Arrested in Vitebsk on Solidarity Day (para. 8) 
- Opposition Leaders Approve Bukhvostov as Congress Organizer 
(para. 9) 
- Kozulin's Daughters to Join Solidarity Hufger Qtrike (para. 
10)Q 
- Police Refuse Criminal Ppoceedings in Defacing od Church 
(para. 11) 
- State Postal Services Pefuse to DistRibute Independent 
Newspapers (para. 12) 
- GOB Promises Thorough Investigation of Vandalized Holocaust 
Memorial (para. Q3) 
 
LOCAL ELECTIONS 
--------------- 
 
- Initiative GroupsQUQ5%QQApplications for Registration (para. 
14) 
 
DOMESTIC ECONMMICSCC!))))))))))))))))))(HH(Q 
QI%U1QUIQQExports Rise 32 percent (par`. 15) 
- Indestrial Output *kQM 12.Q percent (para. 16) 
 
 QUOTE OF THE UTT 
BQQIQ9 17) 
 
,---------------------- 
Interna4ional Relations 
----,------------------ 
 
¶2.  Foreign Military Experts Confirm Belarus# Compliance 
 
On Fovember 18, the Be,arusIan dYVQKQQminist2y re`orte` that 
three grou`s of foreign milit!ry ehperts had confirme$ the 
coqntry%s compliance with international commitments inQ 
conventional arms control and military aativities.  The experts 
completed their ijspections of -ilitary units in Belarus under 
the Cmnventional Armed Fgrces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and found 
conformity between the act5al quantities of weaponry and 
equipment subject to limitation under the Treaty and the declar%d 
Auantities. 
 
¶3.  Qelarus Stall 67th in UN Human Development Ranking 
 
On November 9, the UN Development Program's released its 2006 
Human Development Report.  According to this report, BelarusQ 
continues to rank 67th out of the 177 na4ions in living standards 
and of the CIS countries, only Russia fares better.  T`e report 
lists the Ba`tic States among the countries with high humanQ 
development levels, with Estonia placed 40th, Lithuania 41st and 
Latvia 45th.  Norway caps t`e report and Niger fallc last. 
 
------------- 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
¶4.  NGO Partfership Leader Out /f Prison 
 
On November 17, authoritieq released independent election monitob 
Nikolai Astreyko from a prison in the northeastern city of Shklov 
and permitted him to serve the remainder of his two-year sentence 
in "+himya," or restricted freedom.  On August 4, a insk courp 
convicted Qstreyko, Timofey Dranchuk, Aleksahdr Shalayko, !nd 
Enira Bronitskaya /f running an unregistered organization. 
Authorities released Shalayko and Bronitskaya on August 21 after 
serving six-month sentences with time served.  Dranchuk remains 
in a Minsk prison on ! one%year sentence. 
 
¶5.  Dashketich's Lawyer Appeals to Review His Sentence 
 
On November 10, Alecsandr Galiyev, lawyer for imprisoned Dmitry 
(Jmitsar) Dashkevich, lodged an appeal with the Minsk City Aourt