Political Prisoner Ihar Komlik Charged

The chief accountant of the REP trade union remains in custody.

As it became known HRC Viasna, on August 10 the chief accountant of the REP trade union Ihar Komlik was charged under part 2 of Art. 243 of the Criminal Code (Evasion from payment of taxes in a particularly large amount).

Ihar Komlik pleads innocent to the charges and does not give any testimony. However, the measure of restraint is the same: the accused remains in custody.

We remind, that August 2, 2017, the Department of Financial Investigation of the State Control Committee of Belarus searched the REP trade union's office and the central office of the BNP and seized computers and financial documents. The police detained the head of the REP trade union Henadz Fiadynich and the accountant Ihar Komlik. Henadz Fiadynich was interrogated and released, and Ihar Komlik remained in custody.

August 3, Belarusian human rights organizations announced Ihar Komlik a political prisoner. According to human rights activists, the criminal case against the trade union leaders is politically motivated and is caused by the active work of the trade union and the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of association.

The Global Union IndustriALL and the International Confederation of Trade Unions spoke in support of the REP trade union leaders and called on the Belarusian authorities to stop the persecution of Henadz Fiadynich and Ihar Komlik.

Today the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, the FIDH Partnership Program and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) made a joint statement and urged the Belarusian government to remove all charges from Ihar Komlik and stop the criminal prosecution of the leaders of trade union organizations for their peaceful activities.

Let us remind, that human rights activists recognized Ihar Komlik as a political prisoner.