VZCZCXRO7913
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSK #0270/01 3661339
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 311339Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0041
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHSK/AMEMBASSY MINSK 0042

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON BO
SUBJECT: BELARUS WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - DECEMBER 31, 2008 
 
MINSK 00000270  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy 
Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
- Vandals Attack Human Rights Group Office (para. 2) 
- GOB Registers Hare Krishna Communities (para. 3) 
- Opposition Activists Dismissed (para. 4) 
- Independent Journalist Questioned (para. 5) 
- Opposition Youth Beaten (para. 6) 
- For Freedom Movement Activist Fined (para. 7) 
- Heritage Preservation Society Evicted from Offices (para. 8) 
- Court Bans Extremist, Anti-Semitic Printed Materials (para. 9) 
- German Human Trafficker Convicted (para. 10) 
- Polish Clergy Banned from Belarus (para. 11) 
 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
- Lukashenka Imposes Moratorium on Inspection of Businesses 
(para. 12) 
- Households to Pay Only 30-32 Percent Of Utility Costs in 2009 
(para. 13) 
- Nuclear Power Plant to be Built near Lithuanian Border (para. 
14) 
- Lukashenka Makes Gesture towards Individual Entrepreneurs 
(para. 15) 
 
Foreign Trade 
------------- 
 
- Russia to Provide 21.5 Million Tons of Oil And 22.1 Billion 
Cubic Meters of Natural Gas in 2009 (para. 16) 
 
Quote of the Week (para. 17) 
---------------------------- 
 
------------- 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
¶2.  Vandals Attack Human Rights Group Office 
 
Unidentified vandals damaged windows and painted swastikas on 
the walls of a human rights center office in Novopolotsk 
December 25.  The advocates have appealed to the police to 
investigate the incident and open a criminal case.  They believe 
that a local neo-fascist group was behind the vandal attack. 
 
¶3.  GOB Registers Hare Krishna Communities 
 
A Minsk-based Hare Krishna community spokesperson confirmed 
December 22 that six out of seven communities had obtained 
registration in Belarus.  The Bobruysk community remains 
officially unregistered but still operating.  It took six years, 
numerous lawsuits and fines for the communities to finally hold 
services and ceremonies legally. 
 
¶4.  Opposition Activists Dismissed 
 
United Civic Party member and former parliamentary candidate 
Grigoriy Gryk received official notification December 22 that 
the Baranovichy textile factory would terminate his employment 
on January 2, 2009.  Gryk was fired for "participating in 
numerous unsanctioned demonstrations in Minsk" and distributing 
independent printed materials at the enterprise.  In a separate 
case, "For Freedom movement" activist Dmitriy Kukhlyay informed 
the media on December 25 that he had been fired from the 
furniture factory in Mosty.  Kukhlyay, a member of the local 
council, would appeal to court as he claims that the council had 
to approve his dismissal. 
 
¶5.  Independent Journalist Questioned 
 
Gomel police interrogated and fingerprinted independent 
journalist Dmitriy Karmazin December 19 in connection with the 
July 4 Minsk bombing incident.  Karmazin, a Minsk resident, was 
summoned to a local precinct and questioned about his 
whereabouts on July 4, whether he knew how to make and operate 
explosive devices, and if he ever owned chemicals.  Karmazin's 
associate was banned from the precinct despite constitutional 
rights for a legal representative to witness the interrogation. 
 
¶6.  Opposition Youth Beaten 
 
Police opened a criminal case to investigate violent beatings of 
Maladaya Belarus opposition youth group leader Artur Finkevich 
on December 20.  The activist was allegedly abducted by 
approximately eight persons and transported 30 kilometers 
outside Minsk late December 19.  He immediately sought medical 
 
MINSK 00000270  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
assistance and registered his injuries with the police. 
Finkevich, a former political prisoner, also reported his 
documents, keys and USD 110 stolen. 
 
¶7.  For Freedom Movement Activist Fined 
 
A Klyotsk district court December 29 fined For Freedom Movement 
activist and independent journalist Sergey Ponomaryov USD 475 
for participating in an unsanctioned gathering December 7. 
Ponomaryov had held a meeting to found a local chapter of the 
Belarusian Society for Historical and Cultural Heritage 
Preservation and discuss related issues of public concern.  He 
stated that he would challenge the fine in court. 
 
¶8.  Heritage Preservation Society Evicted from Offices 
 
Minsk authorities evicted the Belarusian Society for Historical 
and Cultural Heritage Preservation from state-owned offices in 
downtown Minsk December 22.  The Society had to pay over  USD 
1,200 of monthly rent under new regulations introduced in April 
¶2008.  Society chair Anton Astapovich explained that the group 
did not appeal to the court due to their lack of resources. 
 
¶9.  Court Bans Extremist, Anti-Semitic Printed Materials 
 
A Minsk district court December 19 banned 13 religious books and 
other printed materials published and distributed by the 
Minsk-based Christian Initiative Company as "extremist" and 
"anti-Semitic".  The lawsuit stemmed from numerous protest 
petitions from individuals, religious activists and the clergy 
of the Belarus Orthodox Church.  The Prosecutor General's office 
recalled company's publishing and retail licenses and seized 
50,000 copies of the materials. 
 
¶10.  German Human Trafficker Convicted 
 
A Brest district court sentenced behind closed doors on December 
19 a German resident to 12 years in a medium security jail for 
human trafficking with the purpose of sexual exploitation.  He 
was convicted of facilitating sex tourism and related services 
for Germans in Belarus and of trafficking approximately 10 
Belarusian women under 30 years of age to Poland. 
 
¶11.  Polish Clergy Banned from Belarus 
 
The GOB banned a Polish priest and three Polish nuns serving in 
the Minsk-Mogilyov Archdiocese from religious work in Belarus 
starting January 1, 2009.  Borisov-based priest Zbignev 
Grigortsevich, serving in the Virgin Mary's Birth community, 
said that he had not "violated any religious regulations" during 
his three-year service in Belarus.  The community has collected 
over 400 signatures in priest's support and filed them to local 
authorities to protest his religious permit termination. 
 
---------------- 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
¶12.  Lukashenka Imposes Moratorium on Inspections of Businesses 
 
According to the presidential press service, Lukashenka signed 
Edict number 689 December 19,  imposing a six-month moratorium 
on inspections of businesses by various governmental agencies 
including the tax authorities.  In six month he is expected sign 
another edict to streamline and reduce the number of such 
inspections, which so far have often been used to harass 
business people, extract bribes and even force them out of 
business.  Nevertheless, inspections will continue if and when 
ordered by the president and the government, investigators and 
prosecutors in administrative and criminal cases, and experts in 
sanitary control, industrial and construction safety, etc.   The 
National Bank will continue supervising and inspecting the 
banking sector. 
 
¶13. Households to Pay Only 30-32 Percent Of Utility Costs in 2009 
 
According to the media, Belarus' Vice Premier Viktor Buria told 
the parliament on December 19 that despite the average 15 
percent increase in utility bills payments scheduled for 
households in 2009, they will cover only 30-32 percent of the 
actual utility costs.  Any further increase in utility tariffs 
will depend on the natural gas prices, which are expected to be 
announced before the end of December 2008 in the wake of 
Russia-Belarus talks.  The government is nevertheless set to 
keep up subsidizing Belarusian households through the whole of 
next year. 
 
¶14.  Nuclear Power Plant to be Built near Lithuanian Border 
 
Belarus' Energy Ministry announced on December 20 that the 
interagency commission of the Belarusian government reviewed 
several options for the location of the nuclear power plans 
(NPP) on December 20 and decided to recommend the site near the 
 
MINSK 00000270  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
town of Ostrovets, which is adjacent to the Lithuanian border 
and is about 50 kilometers from Vilnius.  The commission will 
forward its report and the recommendation to the president for 
him to take the final (political) decision on the NPP site. 
The Belarusian authorities "assured" visiting Lithuanian Foreign 
Minister Vygaudas Usackas December 29 that Belarus will inform 
Lithuania about the NPP plans "in the most transparent way". 
The first part of the 2000-Megawatt NPP is scheduled to be 
constructed in 2016,  and the second in 2018. 
 
¶15. Lukashenka Makes Gesture towards Individual Entrepreneurs 
 
According to the presidential press service, on December 24, 
Lukashenka signed edict 703, which extended indefinitely the 
exemption of individual entrepreneurs from customs clearance and 
payment of import tariffs on goods purchased in Russia for 
retailing in Belarus and manufactured in the third countries. 
The edict allows such individual entrepreneurs throughout 
Belarus to continue paying a single tax and a fixed-rate VAT, 
though the former will be increased 50 percent. They are 
required to pay 10 percent tax on any sums exceeding revenues, 
which equal the total of 20 single taxes.  The edict has added 
extra red tape and introduced a life-time ban on doing business 
in a capacity of an individual entrepreneur in cases when any 
violations in paying a single tax are accounted for. 
 
------------- 
Foreign Trade 
------------- 
 
¶16.  Russia to Supply 21.5 Million Tons of Oil And 22.1 Billion 
Cubic Meters of Natural Gas in 2009 
 
According to press reports, Russian Energy Ministry officials 
announced December 19 that Russia plans to supply 21.5 million 
tons of oil and 22.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas to 
Belarus in 2009.  There are no plans to increase or decrease the 
announced volumes as Gazprom and Belarus continue talks on 
amending their December 2006 contract. 
 
----------------- 
Quote of the Week 
----------------- 
 
¶17. Head of the Minsk Alcoholic Detoxication Center Denis 
Semenets told Interfax news agency December 29 that the Center, 
which belongs to Minsk city police, provides its services 24 
hours a day, including on New Year's.  A few of the center's 
vehicles will also patrol the city during the holiday to assist 
intoxicated revelers. 
"All who can recall where they live will be delivered home.  All 
who cannot do so, as well as those residing outside Minsk, will 
be delivered to the Center where they will stay until they get 
sober completely." 
MOORE