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.

Belarusian independent trade unions express solidarity with the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM) and the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM), who have issued a joint statement titled “Responsible Exit Is the Only Responsible Choice in Myanmar’s War Economy.”

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.

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.

Gennady Fedynich (Hennadz Fiadynich in Belarusian transliteration), long-time leader of the independent Radio and Electronics Industry Workers’ Union (REP), was one of many Belarusian trade unionists imprisoned in the crackdown on free unions. Last week, he was unexpectedly taken from prison in Babruisk, transported under guard to Minsk, and then deported to Lithuania along with other 52 political prisoners.

A group of United Nations human rights experts today called on Belarusian authorities to promptly and effectively investigate serious allegations of ill-treatment involving prisoners convicted of terrorism- and extremism-related offences.

On August 1, the key provisions of Law No. 95-Z come into force in Belarus, introducing amendments to the regulation of auditors’ professional activity.

In the first half of 2025, political rapprochement between Belarus and Myanmar reached a new level. Both countries — governed by military or authoritarian regimes, under international sanctions, and widely criticized for systematic human rights violations — are enthusiastically expanding economic, diplomatic, and even military cooperation.

In today’s Belarus, subscription to independent mass media can cost a man not just their job but also their freedom. Lukashenka’s regime continues to pursue the policy of total control over information, qualifying the reading of alternative media sources as “extremist activity”.

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, a part of the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures, has issued a conclusion on the case of the Belarusian political prisoner Aliaksandr Kashpul.

On 11 June, the prestigious Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights was awarded in Oslo. This year’s laureate is Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chairperson of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) and member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO), who is currently imprisoned for his trade union activities.

The regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka continues to weaponize trials in absentia against representatives of the independent trade union movement. A recent case involving Leanid Sudalenka, a legal advisor to Salidarnast e.V., highlights the politically motivated nature of such prosecutions.

The Investigative Committee of Belarus has initiated yet another case against the “Salidarnast” lawyer and a former political prisoner

Adapted from a talk given at the “Labour Movements Under Authoritarian Regimes” webinar hosted by Global Labour Column, Salidarnast e.V.,

On March 1, 2025, the international campaign "Trade Union Activism Is Not Extremism!"

The LabourStart platform has started collecting signatures under the petition as part of the “Trade Union Activism - Not Extremism!” campaig

Leanid Sudalenka, the Salidarnast lawyer, is convinced that then system of fixed-term contract employment in Belarus contradicts at least

These days, the Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) holds its meeting in Geneva.

Currently, there are 29 union leaders and activists doing time in Belarusian prisons. The “Salidarnast” Association starts a series of publi

Ihor Shukanau, 62, is accused of participation in protest actions and defamation of Aliaksander Lukashenka, reports “Nasha Niva”.