Belarusian Interior Minister’s statement may signal a new wave of pressure on workers
Belarusian Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakou has said that workplaces should become one of the priority areas for the security forces’ “preventive” work. He made the statement on 23 September during Interior Ministry command-and-staff exercises in the Homiel region.
“The priority is proper preventive work at enterprises: people must not be allowed to become involved in destructive movements,” Kubrakou said.
The minister did not specify what measures such “prevention” would involve. It is therefore too early to say that a decision has already been taken to launch a new wave of purges at workplaces. However, Kubrakou’s wording may indicate tighter control over workers.
The context of the statement adds to these concerns, as the exercises in Homiel included scenarios for suppressing mass unrest. Kubrakou also proposed expanding the powers of operational headquarters so that, under “special conditions”, their heads could take certain decisions without a prosecutor’s authorisation.
Workplaces were already among the main targets of repression following the 2020 protests. Human rights organisations and the BKDP recorded and documented threats, dismissals, detentions and criminal prosecutions of workers and independent trade union activists. In addition, following the suppression of the protests, employees of state-owned enterprises were dismissed for taking part in demonstrations, as well as for subscribing to independent Belarusian media or for perceived disloyalty to the ruling political regime.
Against this background, the Interior Minister’s remarks about “preventive work at enterprises” appear to be more than general rhetoric.
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