Supreme Court upholds sentence against trade union leaders

April 3, BPN. The Supreme Court upheld the sentence against leaders of the Belarusian Trade Union of Electronic Industry Workers (REP).

The appeal against sentence was pending since March 31. The decision was made on April 3, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Judge Piotr Listracienka presided over the proceedings.

On January 5, the Minsk City Court sentenced REP leader Hienadź Fiadynič, 66, to nine years in prison. REP’s acting chair Vasil Bieraśnieŭ, 73, was given nine years in prison and activist Viačasłaŭ (Vacłaŭ) Areška, 68, eight years.

Authorities blacklisted the electronic union as an extremist group and accused trade union leaders of inciting hatred, calling for sanctions and running an extremist group.

All three have been in custody since April 2022, when a wave of arrests of independent trade union activists swept across Belarus. Human rights groups consider persecuted trade unionists as political prisoners.

In July 2022, the Supreme Court ruled to shut down all Belarusian independent trade unions as well as their umbrella organization, the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions.

International trade union confederations condemned the crackdown and urged authorities to immediately restore workers’ right to freedom of association.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) may consider sanctions under Article 33 of the ILO Charter in response to persecution of workers in Belarus and constant violations of their rights.