VZCZCXRO1901
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSK #0643 2061027
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251027Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6307
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1627
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS MINSK 000643 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: AUTHORITIES DENY OPPOSITION PERMISSION FOR JULY 27 
CONCERT 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) Minsk authorities denied the opposition coalition 
permission to stage a concert on July 27 in celebration of 
Belarus' 1990 independence from the Soviet Union.  Organizers 
will appeal the decision and continue with plans to hold a 
meeting at Independence Square and a poetry reading at Yanka 
Kupala Park.  However, without the concert, participation 
will likely be minimal.  End summary. 
 
Authorities Deny Permission 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Minsk city authorities on July 20 denied the United 
Democratic Forces (UDF) permission to stage a concert at 
Bangalore Park on July 27 to mark Belarus' independence from 
the Soviet Union.  On July 27, 1990 Belarus adopted the State 
Sovereignty Declaration.  Belarusians celebrated the date as 
Independence Day until 1996, when Lukashenko -- after 
expanding his powers -- removed Belarusian pre-revolution 
national symbols and holidays and replaced them with their 
Soviet-era counterparts. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Lead organizer of the concert and Belarusian 
National Front (BNF) Deputy Viktor Ivashkevich told Poloff on 
July 23 that the authorities denied the UDF permission 
because the city had allegedly commenced preparing Bangalore 
Park for Minsk City Day celebrations in September.  However, 
according to Belarusian legislation authorities are required 
to provide the UDF another location for the concert, which 
they failed to do.  Therefore, Ivashkevich and his fellow 
July 27 organizer and Belarusian Social Democrat Party 
Gramada (BSDPG) (jailed presidential candidate Aleksandr 
Kozulin's party) Deputy Igor Rynkevich would draft a 
complaint and appeal the authorities' decision. 
 
UDF Plans Forge Ahead 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ivashkevich maintained that although the concert was 
now cancelled, other UDF plans on July 27 would move forward. 
 At 16:00 at Independence Square, former MPs who adopted the 
1990 declaration will speak to young activists who were born 
after Belarus' independence.  The UDF did not seek permission 
for the gathering as, according to Ivashkevich, there will be 
no speeches or politically charged slogans and banners. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The second event will be at 17:00 at Yanka Kupala 
Park, where activists will gather -- also without GOB 
permission -- to read selections from Kupala's poetry and lay 
flowers at his monument.  Ivashkevich stressed throughout the 
discussion with Poloff that the UDF's meetings would not be 
protest demonstrations.  At 18:00, event organizers will 
arrive at Bangalore Park to explain to uninformed activists 
that the concert was cancelled.  Ivashkevich expects 
everything to be finished by 18:30. 
 
Few Participating 
----------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Ivashkevich predicted that no more than 200 people 
would participate in the meetings.  All coalition parties 
pledged to take part in the preparations and execution of the 
July 27 festivities, but according to Ivashkevich, only the 
BNF, BSDPG, BSDP Narodnaya Gramada (Nikolai Statkevich's 
party), and the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party were 
active.  When asked if the United Civic Party (UCP) or 
Belarusian Party of Communists (BPC) would participate, 
Ivashkevich shrugged and did not even know if UCP leader 
Anatoliy Lebedko, BPC leader Sergey Kalyakin, or For Freedom 
(FF) leader Aleksandr Milinkevich would attend.  Organizers 
are distributing 10,000 leaflets advertising the meetings 
(and concert) and relying on internet portals and newspapers 
to spread the word. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) When July 27 preparations first began, the UDF was 
counting on the concert to draw the crowd and did not have an 
alternative plan should authorities deny permission.  Now, 
with no venue for a concert, we expect the opposition's July 
27 festivities to go largely unnoticed.  However, we and EU 
missions plan to observe the events. 
Stewart