New wave of repression in Belarus? Trade unions offices raided; leader accused of ‘tax evasion’


The Minsk and Salihorsk offices of two key opposition trade unions have been raided today by the Department for Financial Investigations.



They have searched the office of the independent trade union of radioelectronic industry workers (REP) in Minsk. Its head Henadz Fyadynich and other key trade union activists have been arrested; their numbers are currently unavailable.

The authorities have opened a criminal case over alleged tax evasion against Henadz Fyadynich.

“This is a retaliation act for the organization’s activity during the protests against the ‘social parasites’ decree,” says lawyer Yury Belyakou.

According to Yury Belyakou, he wanted to prevent law enforcers from making a mess in the office and offered to give them what they were looking for, but they refused.

The chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Independent Trade Unions Alyaksandr Yarashuk has been also detained; Yury Herasimenka, REP trade union spokesman, has been summoned for questioning.

Natallya Pichuzhkina, a former editor-in-chief of praca-by.info, has been arrested on suspicion of tax evasion, praca-by.info reports.

As reported earlier, the security forces are after Ihar Komlik, the trade union chief accountant. They broke down the door to his office room, because there was no key in the office:

Photo: praca-by.info

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