Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions
Cases- Case status
- Unknown
- Location of case in SG report
- 2023-017-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2023
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 53.709807
Longitude: 27.953389
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Belarus
- From Region
- UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
- ILO
- Dates of prior UN action
- 31 October 2022
- Type of record
- Named organization
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Type of rights defended
- Economic/social rights
- Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
- No
- Reported trigger of reprisal
opposition to violations against trade union workers’ rights and his submission of information to the ILO
- Engagement with UN body
- ILO
- Type of attempted engagement
- Submission of information to UN
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- 2022
- Location of mentioned reprisals
- Belarus
- Reprisal information
- On 31 October 2022, at the 346th session of the ILO’s Governing Body13, the worker spokesperson noted that the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions and affiliated trade unions had been outlawed by the Supreme Court. She also noted that prosecutors had filed charges against Mr. Yarashuk, Chairperson of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions and member of the ILO Governing Body, owing to his opposition to violations against trade union workers’ rights and his submission of information to the ILO (para. 467). The Government noted that persistent attempts to interpret prosecution as persecution of trade union activity were particularly concerning and stated that the actions of certain trade unions had become extremely destructive and politicized. According to the Government, lawful trade union activities had never been grounds for persecution in Belarus (para. 464).
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Administrative reprisal
- Alleged/likely perpetrators
- State actors
- Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
- No
- Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
- Yes
- Government response dates
- 20 July 2023
- Government response content
- On 20 July 2023, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report noting that trade unions can be formed, their representatives can carry out their legal activities and citizens can enjoy the right to join trade unions. The Government rejected as groundless the allegations that trade unions and citizens are persecuted for carrying out trade union activities or for the peaceful and legal exercise of civil rights, including cooperation with the United Nations. The Government stated that the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU) and its affiliated organizations were terminated in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court based on part 2 of article 5 of the Law “On Trade Unions.” It also noted that, Mr. Aliaksandr Yarashuk, former chairperson of BCDTU was found guilty of participation in group actions that grossly violate public order and are associated with disobedience and causing harm to national security under part 1 of article 342 and part 3 of article 361 of the Criminal Code. The Government clarified that the appeal of 24 March 2023 confirmed the sentence of 26 December 2022 against Mr. Aliaksandr Yarashuk.
- Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
- No
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- Yes
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Date added
3 relationships, 3 entities