BKDP Representatives Attend the “8+100” Forum in Brussels

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.

The “8+100” forum serves as a platform for cooperation between eight Belarusian democratic parties that were dismantled by Lukashenka’s regime and more than one hundred European political parties supporting democratic change in Belarus.

This time, discussions in Brussels focused on support for political prisoners, the strategy of the democratic forces, and the prospects for Belarus’s European integration. Participants paid particular attention to the overall situation regarding human rights and civil liberties in the country.

In a conversation with gazetaby.com, BKDP Deputy Chair Siarhei Antusevich stressed that after the liquidation of independent trade unions and the arrests of their leaders in 2022, pressure on civil society, workers, and trade union activists has continued.

Yauheni Dzenisenka and Siargei Antusevich

“Today in Belarus, workers have effectively been deprived of the right to independent trade unions. People can end up in prison for defending labour rights. That is why it is critically important for us that European politicians hear the voice of Belarusian workers and continue to support the struggle for freedom of association and democratic change in the country.”

BKDP representatives used the opportunity of being present at the forum to engage directly with European partners—sharing information about the situation of working people in Belarus, the repression against the trade union movement, and the need for sustained international support for independent trade unions.

Belarusian independent trade unions continue their work in exile and, together with the international trade union movement, are campaigning for the release of imprisoned trade union leaders and the restoration of freedom of association in Belarus.

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