A protest rally is scheduled to take place in Geneva on June 4th at the Place des Nations 13.30-14.30 to draw attention to the plight of dozens of trade union activists imprisoned in Belarus. The location and timing of the rally are significant, coinciding with the International Labour Conference in Geneva, where the situation of workers' rights in Belarus will be discussed.
Over the past three years, more than 50 trade union leaders and activists have been sentenced to various prison terms in Belarus. The regime has dismantled more than 800 public organizations and initiatives, including four independent trade unions and the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP).
Convicted unionists are blacklisted as extremists and terrorists. Every day we hear reports of new arrests, tortures, searches, fines in Belarus where terror has become an integral part of life and is mentally taking us back to the atrocious past of the Stalinist repressions.
The past tells us that if you do not resist Evil it only makes it even more bloodthirsty. We call upon all workers of the world to join our struggle for the release of imprisoned unionists and putting a stop to the terror in Belarus.
Any actions of yours will help keeping the prisoners’ fate in the focus of international attention and assist union activists in Belarus.
We count on you to join us in this important mission. For solidarity is one of the workers most effective tools enabling workers and their unions to fight for their rights and interests. Destroying unions and arresting huge numbers of workers with impunity is a revolting evidence of the regime’s disregard for fundamental human rights, and this must not be ignored.
The rally will be held under the slogan: "TRADE UNIONISM IS NOT EXTREMISM!"
The protest in support of Belarusian trade unionists in prison is scheduled to take place from 13:30 to 14:30.