‘Andrej Stryzhak vs. Belarus’

The trade union activist registered a claim with the UN Human Rights Committee after a year of trials and lawsuits.

“A year ago I applied for holding a picket in Rechyca’s central square with the aim to attract the attention of the town’s residents to the problem of the independent trade union at Granit enterprise. The picket was scheduled for 3 July. Rechyca’s district executive committee denied the actions, - the coordinator of the youth network of the Belarusian Trade Union of Workers of Radio Electronic Industry Andrej Stryzhak told Salidarnasc. – I disputed the decision of Rechyca’s district executive committee in courts of various instances, but all the courts found the actions of Rechyca’s authorities legal and well-grounded”.

After applying to the Supreme Court the activist, having exhausted all the means of domestic legal safety, applied to the UN Human Rights Committee. The documents package was prepared together with the Center of Strategic Lawsuit in Homiel.

“I appealed to the UN against the violation of two of my rights: the violation of the freedom to express an opinion and the freedom of peaceful assembly, - Andrej Stryzhak noted. – On 18 June 2013 my case has been registered with the UN Human Rights Committee. I received a notification, and the package of documents, collected within a year of lawsuits in Belarus, was sent to the respective state bodies. Now they are obliged to react to the appeal within half a year”.

The trade union activist does not get confused with the wording “Stryzhak vs. Belarus”.

“It is a standard wording, adopted for the cases, when citizens appeal against states, - the interlocutor comments. – It is hard to predict the results of the appeal, since Belarus does not follow the UN Human Rights Committee’s decisions. Let’s take the law on mass events – it does not correspond to democratic norms”.

In case the UN decides the trade union’s leader is right, he first of all counts on moral satisfaction.

“The very fact of the UN Human Rights Committee’s recognition of my right will be a moral satisfaction to me. In any case, its decisions do not have a statute of limitations. So it is quite possible that even with the current authorities I will still hold a picket. Even if I am a 80-year old man when I do”, - Andrej Stryzhak jokes.