Aliaksandr Yarashuk met the ILO Director-General in Geneva
- Apr 2
- 1 min read
At the headquarters of the International Labour Organization in Geneva, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo met Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), who spent four years in detention for his trade union activities.
“The meeting took place in a very warm atmosphere,” Aliaksandr Yarashuk said. “The head of the ILO is well informed about the situation regarding workers’ rights in Belarus and the condition of the trade union political prisoners who remain behind bars today.”
Particular attention during the discussion was given to the ongoing repression of the independent trade union movement in Belarus. Today, among approximately one thousand political prisoners in the country, 20 are trade union activists. Some are serving sentences of up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
The meeting also addressed the practice of forcibly expelling from the country those who have either fully served their sentences or have been included in release lists. Such individuals have their passports confiscated and are deprived of their pensions. This is exactly what happened to Aliaksandr Yarashuk and Henadz Fiadynich. According to the participants, Gilbert Houngbo confirmed that he was aware of this information.
The Belarus issue is brought before the International Labour Conference every year. This year, it will again be discussed in June.
In addition to meeting the ILO Director-General, Aliaksandr Yarashuk also held talks in Geneva with representatives of employers, the diplomatic corps, and international trade union organisations.
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