Vorsha REP Activists: Down With Fear!

Freedom and hope for the better cannot be locked up behind the prison bars.

The Vorsha branch of the REP trade union has issued a statement regarding searches in the trade union organizations’ offices, orsha.eu writes.

The Statement Of The Vorsha Regional Trade Union Organization Of Radio Electronic Industry Workers.

In the morning of August 2, 2017, State Control Committee employees searched the Trade Union’s central office, which led to the opening of a criminal case "on non-payment of taxes" against the trade union leadership (Part 2, Article 243 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus).

REP trade union chairman Henadz Fiadynich, his deputy Ihar Komlik and journalist Natallia Pichuzhkina were detained. The computers’ hard drives and piles of documents were seized from the office in 4, Kulman street during the six hour search.

Claims to the trade union employees on the payment of taxes were made for the period starting from 2010.

The Vorsha regional trade union committee believes that this is the planned revenge of the authorities for their spring civic activity to abolish the Decree No. 3 on parasitism. And also it is a long-term preventive measure, seeing that independent trade unions are preparing mass rallies against people’s impoverishment to be held in autumn.

The trade union expresses sincere support and solidarity with Ihar Komlik (EP trade union head Henadz Fiadynich and former editor of the site praca-by.info Natallia Pichuzhkina have been released after interrogations), and it also strongly protests against violence, arbitrariness and brutal actions against the leaders of Belarus’ independent trade unions. Down with fear! Freedom and hope for the better cannot be locked up behind the prison bars.

Long live Belarus!