Henadz Fiadynich: People Protest And They Will Protest!

The power is the people, and we will successfully achieve the free and independent Belarus.

Chairman of the Independent Trade Union of the Radio-Electronic Industry Workers Henadz Fiadynich has commented upon yesterday’s events in Minsk for Charter97.org. He has also expressed his concern with regard to the disappearance of one of the leaders of the Belarusian National Congress Mikalai Statkevich.

- Henadz, what happened to you yesterday?

- Yesterday I was in Minsk since the beginning till the end. We managed to leave before the mop-up.

- How can you comment on the actions of the authorities?

- I have no words to comment on all this iniquity. My impression is that the authorities don’t give a damn about the aid of the IMF, or the contacts with the European Union ... The most important thing is to stay in power. That's what interests them. Only their ego. It is unacceptable to send these brutal riot police to disperse peaceful demonstrations, in which a lot of young people, pensioners participated. They do not see people! As if not the Belarusians, but the enemies are all around! As if they want something bad for Belarus. The hysteria in the state-owned media, beginning with radio and the Belarusian Television, is completely incomprehensible.

Guys, what are you doing ?! The whole nation is already coming out and rebels! They decided to frighten people in such a brutal way to show who is in power today. Yes, power is the people! We will achieve the independent and free Belarus!

Why torturing the people like this?! No one will avoid responsibility for this: neither the riot police, nor the one who supervised them, nor the officials. They acted like brutalized animals against their people!

Now the people are different. Don’t you understand this? What kind of fear should one have before own people to take such extraordinary measures? It does not fit into the head. And no one believes that they want to do something for Belarus. They do not want anything. They just want to save their asses.

- How would you comment on the information about the abduction of Mikalai Statkevich? There are concerns about his life.

- If the police had done it, I think they would have told. I believe it’s the KGB. They brutally arrested everyone and thought nothing was going to happen in Minsk… Guys, the situation is different. How can they fail to understand this?

We are very worried about Mikalai. On Monday, we will alert all the people and the institutions – how could it be so, the man is missing…

- What needs to be done in connection with the mass arrests and the things the authorities do?

- We are involving international trade unions, from our side. There is a need to impose all possible sanctions, because these sanctions will be against the regime, not against the people. The people should understand this. We need to contact the USA, the EU, everyone who is connected with Belarus today. Because, such mayhem should never be forgiven! No one is going to “swallow” it anymore.

And we, the Belarusians, need to act even more organized, large-scale. We will use the trade-union methods, well-known throughout the world.