The raid resulted in the detention of at least five workers of the wire mesh plant of the Haver BY company, reports Nasha Niva.
On June 14, 2024, a private plant in the Grodna Region saw a so-called “anti-extremist operation”. The published video shows fully clad national security officers armed with machine guns storming the shop floors, dragging workers away from their machine-tools, bringing them face-down on the floor and twisting their arms behind their backs.
The grounds for the workers’ detention and their procedural status are not reported.
Haver BY, Ltd. was founded in Lida in 2009. The plant produces wire mesh under the supervision of German experts. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the German concern Haver&Boecker OHG. The plant’s web-site says that the company employs
experienced specialists with relevant education and core skills who have their training and upskilling in Germany.
Haver&Boecker is a mid-sized family business headquartered in Oelde, Westphalia. Founded in 1887, the company comprises the wire weaving and machinery divisions, operating on all five continents with over 50 subsidiaries and 150 agencies.
The national security forces’ raids against enterprises allegedly disloyal to the country’s authorities were discussed at the International Labour Conference which has just concluded its work in Geneva. Maksim Pazniakau, the Acting President of the
Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), has pointed out that such “raids” only serve to undermine whatever trust the Belarusian authorities may still enjoy
on the international arena.