Henadz Fiadynich charged with tax evasion

Henadz Fiadynich, head of the independent Trade Union of Radio and Electronic Industry (REP), has been officially charged with tax evasion, BelaPAN said quoting the Investigative Committee’s spokesperson Yuliya Hancharova.

“Head of the Belarusian Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry Henadz Fiadynich has been charged under Part 2, Art. 243 (tax evasion) of the Criminal Code of Belarus. He has been subjected to an interim measure of recognizance not to leave. Investigation of the case continues,” she said.

On August 10, the same charge was brought against the trade union’s chief accountant Ihar Komlik, who remains in custody.

On August 2, employees of the Department of Financial Investigations raided and seized computer equipment and financial documents in the office of the REP trade union and the central office of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BNP). REP Chairman Henadz Fiadynich and accountant Ihar Komlik were arrested. Fiadynich was questioned and released, while Komlik remained in custody.

The country’s leading human rights organizations said on August 3 that Ihar Komlik was a political prisoner. According to the human rights activists, the trade union leaders faced criminal charges for political reasons, which are linked to their activities and the peaceful exercise of freedom of association.

The Belarusian trade union leaders were publicly supported by the IndustriALL Global Union and the International Confederation of Trade Unions, which called on the Belarusian authorities to stop the persecution of Henadz Fiadynich and Ihar Komlik.

On August 10, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint program of FIDH and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), said in a statement that all charges against Ihar Komlik should be immediately dropped and the prosecution of the trade union leaders stopped.