On March 21, during a visit to Vienna, Aliaksandr Yarashuk, President of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), met with Korinna Schumann, Austria’s Minister of Labour.

On April 19, 2022, many Belarusian independent unions’ leaders and activists were arrested. The date became a milestone in the history of the massive repressions in the country. We share with you why the regime fears union activists more than it may seem.

On 20 April, the fourth anniversary of his arrest, Aliaksandr Yarashuk, leader of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), took part in a meeting of the Executive Board of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB). During his visit to Austria, he thanked Austrian trade unionists for their support and stressed that international solidarity had been one of the factors that contributed to his release.

The Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) was among the organisations that signed a statement by a human rights coalition condemning the arbitrary invalidation of the passports of former political prisoners who were forcibly expelled from Belarus after their release.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Yesterday, when new information and footage appeared showing Ukrainian buses, I caught myself experiencing a strange clarity. Perhaps, for the first time since the first similar release of political prisoners, everything seemed to fall into place.