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Henadz Fiadynich: REP Uncompromisingly Helps People Today

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Henadz Fiadynich: REP Uncompromisingly Helps People Today
HENADZ FIADYNICH

The authorities understand this and are in a hurry to consider the "trade union case" during the holiday season.

On June 8, the case of trade unions was submitted to the Savietski district court of Minsk. Minsk deputy prosecutor Kastsiukevich informed REP trade union head Henadz Fiadynich and his lawyers about that.

The defendants in the case, Henadz Fiadynich and Ihar Komlik, have finished studying the materials of the case only on June 8, and on June 18, the prosecutor's office submitted the criminal case to the court. Henadz Fiadynich commented on the situation in an interview to praca-by.info:

– Today, the lawyers told me that the criminal case against me and Komlik had been submitted to the Savietski district court of Minsk – at the place of the trade union legal address. They explain that all the procedural requests and complaints in the case are to be submitted directly to the court. And I am to get a copy of the investigator's decision on submitting the criminal case to the court. As a rule, the prosecutor gets to know the case 10-15 days. We were studying the case materials for a month – finished only in the evening of June 8, the last day. How could a prosecutor get to know 11 volumes of the case, 600 pages each one, in 3-5 days? Probably, he is an unicum. But there is another explanation: I do not want to get a handle on it, let the court handle. The question arises about the legality of the judicial bodies: either you are there, or you just imitate yourself.

– Why are the investigative bodies hurrying?

– The rush means that the task to send the case to court as soon as possible is facing them, and it is desirable to deliver a judgment during the mass holidays, including the holidays of the diplomatic corps accredited in Minsk: this is a political case.

– Is it possible to predict the judicial perspective of the criminal case right now?

– It’s very difficult. As fate would have it, the REP trade union today is among those few organizations that uncompromisingly help people, constructively criticizing the authorities, and it doesn't have everyone smiling. Any power – this one or the new one – must be based on constructive criticism; only in this case the power will be strong, otherwise it will die, like the previous ones.

– How will the authorities use a condemnatory judgement in the Trade Union case?

– I'm sure: whatever the judgement is, the REP trade union will work. The union will stop working only if it loses the support of people. Today, every day people come to us with their problems. Any power, as a matter of principle, should be proud of the structure that helps people to defend legality in labor, civil and administrative relations. But our power advocates "one-size fits all" approach.

– The article of the Criminal Code incriminated to us provides for broad sanctions: to limit freedom up to 5 years, prison terms up to 7 years, confiscation of property. The authorities can use the verdict in the Trade Union case for cleansing before the presidential elections of 2020, to be sure. But if such thoughts inhabit officials’ minds, they miscalculated not even yesterday, but the day before yesterday. Because we are one of those, who consider Belarus an independent state in a first place.

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