VZCZCXRO5824
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSK #0248/01 2051457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241457Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0382
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHSK/AMEMBASSY MINSK 0389

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000248 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON BO
SUBJECT: BELARUS WEEKLY POL/ECON REPORT - JULY 24, 2009 
 
MINSK 00000248  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled by 
Embassy Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
- Another Opposition Activist From the 14 Is Amnestied  (para. 2) 
- The Only Jailed Member of the 14 Stops His Hunger Strike 
(para. 3) 
- Jailed Volkovysk Activist Charged with Terrorism (para. 4) 
- Christian Democrat Charged with Violating Draft Registration 
Rules (para. 5) 
- "For Freedom" Movement Activist's Residence Raided by Police 
(para. 6) 
 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
- Lukashenka:  We Will Never Leave Russia and Russia Will Never 
Leave Us  (para. 7) 
- Russia's Ambassador:  Talks Regarding $500 Million Loan 
Continue (para. 8) 
- Official Unemployment Creeping Up (para. 9) 
- Gazprom Expands Its Presence on Belarus' Oil Market (para. 10) 
- Emergency Situations Ministry Suspends and Resumes Operations 
of Russian Pipeline (para. 11) 
 
Quote of the Week (para. 12) 
--------------------------- 
 
------------- 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
¶2. Another Opposition Activist From the 14 Is Amnestied  (para. 
2) 
 
"European Belarus" civil campaign activist Mikhail Suboch, one 
of the 14 opposition youth convicted for participating in the 
January 10, 2008, unsanctioned entrepreneur demonstrations in 
Minsk, was informed on July 17 that he had been granted amnesty 
on July 15.  Suboch had been serving a two year partial house 
arrest sentence.  Of the 14 activist, one has had his sentence 
commuted by the President, two have been amnestied, and two have 
had their sentences reduced, and the remainder, with the 
exception of Dubisky, were either fined or are serving partial 
house arrest sentences. 
 
¶3. The Only Jailed Member of the 14 Stops His Hunger Strike 
 
On July 23, Malady Front (MF) leader Zmitser Dashkevich informed 
the press that Artyom Dubskiy, MF activist, who had been 
sentenced on July 7 to a year in a low security prison, stopped 
his week-long hunger strike after the prison administration had 
stopped pressuring him "to write a request to be transferred to 
a prison to serve his sentence", and had provided him with 
relevant medical assistance, and improved his cell conditions. 
By law, a convict "may stay at the pretrial detention facilities 
until he receives a reply to his appeal".  Dubskiy was charged 
with allegedly failing to comply with the requirements of his 
two-year partial house arrest sentence that he had received for 
his participation in the January 10, 2008, unsanctioned 
entrepreneur demonstrations in Minsk.  Of the fourteen, Dubskiy 
is the only one currently serving jail time.  Why he has been 
singled out for harsher treatment remains unclear.  Dashuk, who 
had also violated the initial terms of his house arrest, had his 
partial house arrest sentence extend.  During Dubskiy's trial 
his lawyer had asked for similar treatment, but the prosecutor, 
unlike in Dashuk's case, asked the court to sentence Dubskiy to 
a year in prison.  The judged agreed. 
 
¶4. Jailed Volkovysk Activist Charged with Terrorism 
 
On July 17, the press office of the Interior Ministry announced 
that Nikolay Avtukhovich, a former political prisoner, small 
business owner and critic of the government, and "other 
[unnamed] individuals" had been charged with terrorism under the 
Criminal Code's Articles 359 and 13.  Avtukhovich, along with 
his jailed associates Yuriy Leonov and Vladimir Osipenko, have 
been held in a pretrial detention center in Minsk since February 
8 for allegedly perpetrating a series of arsons and explosions 
targeting property of local officials as well as illegally 
possessing explosives and firearms.  According to the medical 
personnel at the pretrial center, Avtukhovich was recuperating 
"well" after his three-month hunger strike, which he stopped at 
his lawyer's request so as to be able to assist his lawyer in 
preparing his defense. 
 
¶5. Christian Democrat Charged with Violating Draft Registration 
 
A Mozyr district draft office, on July 21, charged Belarusian 
 
MINSK 00000248  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Christian Democracy party member Pavel Nozdrya for allegedly 
violating military registration procedures.  Nozdrya was accused 
of "failing to promptly report" changes in his workplace and 
thus faces fines of up to $50.  He stated that this was the 
third time in two years that the local military recruitment 
office has charged him with violating military registration 
rules and called the charges "politically motivated". 
 
¶6. "For Freedom" Movement Activist Residence Raided by Police 
 
On July 22, police in Pinsk searched the residence of "For 
Freedom" movement member Konstantin Chuvak.  They confiscated 
CDs, political literature, and other printed materials and 
brought him to the precinct for questioning.  Police produced a 
search warrant, but Chuvak refused to let them in, and they were 
forced to use a fire stairway to enter his apartment.  The 
activists linked the incident to his distribution of independent 
newspapers at a local market.  He was released later that day 
with no charges. 
 
---------------- 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
¶7. Lukashenka: We Will Never Leave Russia and Russia Will Never 
Leave Us 
 
The media reported that on July 21 Lukashenka met with the head 
of Russia' Accounts Chamber Sergei Stepashin to discuss the 
interaction of the Chamber with Belarus' State Control Committee 
on monitoring the execution of the budget of the Union State of 
Russia and Belarus.  More importantly, Lukashenka used the 
occasion to send a few signals to Russia.  He vowed eternal love 
to Russia calling all discussion in the media amid the ongoing 
trade disputes with Russia "total lies and deliberate distortion 
of facts".  Reciting his favorite "Soyuz"  integration mantra 
"we will never leave Russia and Russia will never leave us" 
Lukashenka did not forget to urge Stepashin to visit a milk 
factory in Minsk that was heavily criticized last week by the 
head of Russia's Consumer Monitoring Services Gennadiy 
Onishchenko for low quality.  Stepashin was reportedly happy 
with the quality of tested milk products and promised to urge 
Onishchenko to come to Minsk and take a closer look at 
Belarusian products. 
 
¶8. Russia's Ambassador:  Talks Regarding $500 Million Loan 
Continue 
 
According to the media, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alexander 
Surikov told reporters July 17 that both Russian and Belarusian 
Finance ministries had confirmed that talks regarding the last 
$500 million trance of Russia's $2 billion loan to Belarus were 
still ongoing.  However, he made it clear that the difficulties 
with reaching an agreement laid with Belarus but he did not 
elaborate.  On May 28, Russia's Finance Minister/Vice Premier 
Alexei Kudrin had criticized Belarus' economic policies as 
obstacle to progress.  Qwever, many independent observers 
believe Russia is sanctioning Lukashenka's for his 
non-recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.  The July 22 
travel warnings issued by GOB warning its citizens about illegal 
entry (as defined by Georgia) into Abkhazia and South Ossetia 
was criticized by Abkhazia and the Russian press. 
 
¶9. Official Unemployment Creeping Up 
 
According to official unemployment statistics posted by Belarus' 
National Statistics Committee, the number of officially 
registered unemployed workers had increased though June by 11.8 
percent thus bringing the total number to 41.7 thousand people. 
That constitutes 0.9 percent of the country's labor force. 
Official statistics, however, do not count as unemployed the 241 
thousand people, 6.8 percent of the labor force versus 1.7 
percent last year, that have been placed on part-time work 
schedules or unpaid leave. 
 
¶10. Gazprom Expands Its Presence on Belarus' Oil Market 
 
According to Prime-TASS news agency, one of the world's top 20 
oil companies, Gazpromneft, which is 95.7 percent owned by 
Russia's Gazprom, established on June 30 a subsidiary in 
Belarus.  Gazpromneft is one of the largest suppliers of crude 
oil to the Belarusian market.  The company co-owns JS Slavneft, 
which owns 42.5 percent of one of Belarus' two oil refineries in 
addition to other businesses.  In addition to the newly 
established company, Gazpromneft-Belnefteproduct, Gazprom has 
stocks in a number of other  businesses operating in Belarus: 
Beltransgaz (37.5 percent), Belgazprombank (96 percent), Brest 
gazoapparat (51 percent) and Yamal-Western Europe  gas pipeline 
(100 percent). 
 
¶11. Emergency Situations Ministry Suspended and then Resumed 
Operations of Russian Pipeline 
 
 
MINSK 00000248  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
According to media reports, Belarus' Emergency Situations 
Ministry suspended on July 21 the operations of Unecha-Ventspils 
diesel fuel pipeline owned by Russia's Zapad-Transnefteproduct 
company because of the numerous technical problems with the 
pipeline.  However, following a phone exchange between Russian 
Vice-Premier Igor Sechin and his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir 
Semashko, Emergency Situation Ministry's press service announced 
that the pipeline would resume operations at 11:00pm on July 23 
as the company has allegedly submitted a new service and repair 
schedule to be implemented by the end of the year.  The 
suspension came amid the ongoing "milk", "meat", "medicine" and 
other disputes shaking the increasingly frayed Russian-Belarus 
trade relationship and was viewed by many observers as the 
latest tit-for-tat. 
 
----------------- 
Quote of the Week 
----------------- 
¶12. Speaking to Belarusian Ambassadors at MFA meeting July 23 
Lukashenka said: 
 
"It is of principle importance that the European Union, guided 
by new relations with Belarus, and the U.S. Administration to 
seek to dethrone the existing government in our country". 
SCANLAN