No More American Corner

On Sunday afternoon I made the 5-minute walk to the library for our weekly American Corner meeting. When I got there, two of my friends (Irina and Nastya) were standing outside. They immediately broke the bad news: "It wasn't convenient for us to meet at the library!" They further explained that the library was "under renovation" and that all of the books, videos, etc. that had been donated by the U.S. government were already gone! I had to see and hear it for myself, so I went inside alone.

They were right, all of the books, shelves, posters, etc. had been removed, and the door to the computer lab where we usually met was closed. When I asked what was going on, I heard what seemed to be the week's catch phrase: "We're sorry, but it isn't convenient for you to meet here anymore."

Then it hit me... where were the others? No one had called to tell me they were going to miss the meeting, which they usually did. One of the club members had told me that the KGB keeps a list of who attends and that our meetings were always monitored. Could they have been warned not to come?

All of a sudden I felt very, very alone...

More Bad News...

This afternoon Peter Young (one of the Fulbrighter's in Minsk) called to check in on me. Unfortunately, he had even more bad news. Several classes and lectures had been cancelled at the Belarusian State University with little or no explanation beyond the obviously state mandated "it isn't convenient for us." One of his colleagues cancelled a lunch appointment and the usual invitation to joint his students for a beer after class never came. The other Americans had similar stories to tell and even heard that the American Corners were in jeopardy.

So far nothing strange had happened in Grodno... but then again things always started in the capital city and spread from there. I turned to Lyudmila, my supervisor at Grodno State University, for some reassurance and she said everything was okay. She even called her contact at the U.S Embassy. Everyone was trying to maintain a state of grace despite the dark cloud that was heading our way.

U.S. Embassy Staff Leave Belarus

The U.S. Embassy staff in Minsk was reduced from 30 to 17 people today. This reduction included the Public Affairs Section (PAS), which oversees U.S. educational initiatives such as the English Language Fellow and Fulbright Programs.

At this time, we were told that our programs were not at risk and to continue business as usual. However, we were instructed to be extra aware of our surroundings and to avoid any meetings or gatherings that could be considered political.

We (the remaining 6 American educators) were all very concerned as our main contact at the U.S. Embassy was gone, and out of reach. Not to mention the recent violence at the demonstration in Minsk and the KGB's accusation of an American spy-ring at the U.S. Embassy. It was even worse for me as I was the sole American in Grodno! My friends invited me to come to Minsk for the weekend, but I didn't want to miss my American Corner meeting on Sunday. Besides, I had a ton of lesson plans to prepare for the following week.

Belarusian KGB Confirms Report About U.S. Spy Ring

The Belarusian KGB has confirmed a report aired on March 23 by Belarusian television that a U.S. spy ring was smashed in Belarus, Belapan reported on March 25. "Everything that was broadcast by First National Channel is true," KGB spokesman Valery Nadtachayeu told Belapan. The same day, KGB chief Yury Zhadobin said that no one was arrested in connection with the spy ring. "We are doing prevention work now. We are probing to what extent this or that article of law, this or that provision was violated," he said. "The fact that they are trying to dictate their rules to us on our own territory...is unacceptable," he added. According to the report, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Minsk organized a ring involving some 10 Belarusian citizens who passed to the United States information "for the use to the detriment of Belarus." The information was passed to "an FBI officer who worked at the U.S. Embassy," the report said. It also said that almost all members of the group were arrested on March 13 at a "secret address half a kilometer from the U.S. diplomatic mission." The report named U.S. Embassy officers Bernard Nixon and Curt Finley as being involved in the spy ring. Jonathan Moore, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, denied the report. "We have no spies operating in Belarus," Moore said.

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/03/3-cee/cee-260308.asp