On 11 September, 52 political prisoners were released in Belarus. Among them were two key figures of the independent trade union movement: Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), and Hennadz Fiadynich, former head of the Belarusian Radio and Electronics Industry Workers’ Union (REP).
Aliaksandr Yarashuk, president of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), vice-president of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body, is being honoured for his uncompromising defence of workers’ rights and democracy in Belarus.