At the headquarters of the International Labour Organization in Geneva, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo met with Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), who spent four years in detention for his trade union activities.

At the 356th Session of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization, discussion of the “Belarus issue” was concluded. The matter was considered under item 12 of the agenda: “Follow-up to the implementation of the resolution concerning measures recommended by the Governing Body under Article 33 of the ILO Constitution with regard to Belarus.”

During the 356th Session of the International Labour Organization, Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), expressed his gratitude to the Workers’ Group at the ILO and to ACTRAV for the solidarity and support shown to him during his imprisonment in Belarus.

On 30 March, the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization will meet in Geneva to consider the issue of the Belarusian authorities’ compliance with Article 33 of the ILO Constitution. One of the requirements under Article 33 is the prompt release of political prisoners — trade union leaders and activists.

On 18 March, the International Day of Political Prisoners, a solidarity action was held in Bremen to draw attention to the fate of people deprived of their liberty for political reasons. Particular attention on this day was given to Belarusian trade union political prisoners.

A major trade union forum was held in Rome to mark the 76th anniversary of the Italian Labour Union (UIL)—one of Italy’s three largest national trade union confederations. Maksim Pazniakou took part in the event on behalf of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP).

On 18 March, the International Day of Political Prisoners (also observed as a Day of Support and Solidarity with Political Prisoners), Bremen will host a solidarity action to draw attention to people worldwide who have been deprived of their liberty for political reasons.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has awarded the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) the George Meany–Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award. This was announced in an official AFL-CIO statement.

The “8+100” forum took place in Brussels, bringing together Belarusian democratic forces and European political parties. At the invitation of the organisers, representatives of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) were also present at the event.

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Alena Yaskova—the National Legal Adviser of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), one of the founders of BKDP’s women’s direction, and a person of exceptional professional integrity and human dignity.

As noted on the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) website, the EESC’s External Relations Section (REX) held a debate on 23 February 2026 to address the alarming deterioration of trade union freedoms in Belarus.

A new case of criminal prosecution against a trade union activist has been reported. Ruslan Badamshyn, an activist of the Free Trade Union of Belarus (SPB) and a member of the "Panacea" union of healthcare workers, has been recognised as a political prisoner and sentenced to two years and six months of imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.

In an interview with ACTRAV INFO on trade union resilience amid growing global instability, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) General Secretary Luc Triangle highlighted the release of Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), as one of the most significant achievements of the international trade union movement in 2025.

On 11 February 2026, a meeting took place in Warsaw between Piotr Duda, chairman of the Polish trade union NSZZ “Solidarność,” his deputies, and the leaders of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), which has continued its work in exile since the liquidation of independent trade unions in Belarus in 2022.

The Salidarnast Association held an international conference “Belarus: Trade Union Actions under Article 33” in Bremen, Germany.

On 30–31 January, Bremen hosted an international trade union conference, held there for the fourth time and traditionally bringing together friends and allies of the independent Belarusian trade unions. This year, the event gathered trade union leaders and representatives of international and national unions from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.

On 26 January, a meeting took place at the Bremen City Hall between Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), and Andreas Bovenschulte, President of the Federal Council of Germany and Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. The meeting was also attended by representatives of Salidarnast e.V. and Christian Wechselbaum, head of the Bremen branch of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB).

In his interview to gazetaby.com, Maksim Senik, an activist of the Belarusian Independent Union (BNP) at the Hrodna Azot fertilizer plant tells what a man who dares to express his own point of view and speak against unjust actions of the authorities has to go through in today‘s Belarus.

Maryna Zolatava, editor-in-Chief of TUT.BY, was released from prison on 13 December 2025. On 11 January 2026, she published her first Facebook post since her release, sharing memories of the women she was imprisoned with. Among them were representatives of the independent labour movement.

Today in Vilnius, a meeting took place between IndustriALL Global Union General Secretary Atle Høie and and Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan with Belarusian trade union leaders – Henadz Fiadynich, longtime head of the Belarusian Radio and Electronics Industry Workers’ Union (REP), which is part of IndustriALL, and Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP).