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18 February, 2026Gennady Fedynich is the long-time leader of the independent Radio and Electronics Industry Workers’ Union (REP) in Belarus. One of many Belarusian trade unionists imprisoned in the crackdown on free unions, Gennady was released from prison in September and immediately deported to Lithuania without any documents or access to his pension.
In December last year, IndustriALL travelled to Villnius to meet with Gennady Fedynich. In this interview, he speaks about his imprisonment, his health, the destruction of independent trade unions in Belarus and the challenges facing unionists in exile.
Belarus is one of the worst countries in the world for workers here independent trade unions have been dismantled, labour rights criminalized and freedom of association completely suppressed, prompting urgent calls for international action and ILO intervention. Unions in Belarus have been under attack since August 2020, with searches of union offices and homes of union leaders and activists, administrative penalties, detentions and imprisonments of those who fight for workers’ rights.
You are free, even though deported. How are you today?
“Prison leaves a mark on you. I am taking care of my lost health. I developed diabetes in prison and was supposed to have joint replacement surgery, but I declined. One of the doctors said it would be better not to do it — I might not survive.. Curing people in our country is a problem, but getting rid of bodies is not.
You have spent many years in the trade union movement. Looking back, what stands out to you?
“I was 32 when I joined the trade union movement, and I worked for 35 years in it. I don’t regret it in any way.”
In April 2022, the Committee for State Security of Belarus (KGB) labelled the REP an extremist organization and banned its activities. The KGB claimed that REP had failed to comply with a court decision ordering the removal of certain materials they considered extremist. The union response was simple: they had never received that court decision and therefore could neither appeal it nor comply with it.
“When the KGB realized this, they understood the case should have been closed. But closing it would have required reporting to higher rank officer, so the case continued and the court decision itself was essentially fabricated.
“Over the years, there was increased pressure on unions in Belarus. I have always wondered why leaders of REP received the longest prison terms, eight, nine and ten years. The KGB told me they had been observing me for 16 years. That is a long time.”
What lead to your imprisonment?
“It was in 2023, we were three REP members in court at that time, in a closed hearing. A new charge was introduced – Article 130 – and in addition, we were declared extremists, which carries a sentence of up to twelve years. The court did not cite a single fact proving extremism, and the prosecution had not even requested the application of this article.
“We denied all allegations but it was all decided beforehand.In Belarus, there is what we call telephone justice and decisions are made by orders from above rather than in court. The judge didn’t give us the maximum sentence. When asked, she said it was because we were retirees.”
What were the conditions in prison like?
“The staff get their orders from Minsk. And political prisoners make up a special category, designed to be mocked. Other prisoners were not allowed to communicate with us.
“The informants got tea, coffee and cigarettes in return for information, including information about political prisoners. And you could buy goods for 200 rubles if you were a normal prisoner. But a political prisoner could only buy for 80 rubles.
“At first they gave us prison quilted jackets, but later they were taken away. At night, you were able to sleep for maybe 30 minutes, then you would wake up because it was so cold. So I usually got up and did some exercise.
“Everyone goes through solitary confinement. I spent ten days there. There were only benches. During the day you were not allowed to lie down, you could only sit up.”
Were there moments that particularly stand out?
“Just before our release when we were moved to the KGB prison, in the morning, they played the national anthem of Belarus and wanted everyone to stand up. There were 13 of us who refused to stand. As a consequence we were denied breakfast.
They confiscated case materials, personal correspondence, photographs of family members, an electric razor and even 700 rubles of my pension. When leaving the prison, we signed a document stating that everything is returned, but the truth is that nothing was returned.”
Would it be possible to recreate REP in Belarus again?
“Of course, a formal decision to recreate the union can be made, but but this must be accompanied by concrete decisions, including the return of our office, otherwise it is meaningless.. It is very dangerous to be an independenttrade unionist in Belarus, so today it is not possible to say that we can simply recreate our trade union.
“Trade unions are important in politics. We know today, that around 20 trade unionists are still in prison in Belarus, but there may be others we do not know about.
“But one day things will change in Belarus, so we need to be prepared.”
How do you communicate with your family that is still in Belarus?
“We talk on the phone. After my release, and I was not even given any document confirming that I had been released, my wife and eldest son came to see me. Once my wife got a call asking where her husband is. She learned to answer: he is where you brought him.
“But being separated is a huge problem for us. We would like to be together, but where would we live? My wife is retiring so she could join me. The law in Belarus has changed so that you now have to be physically in the country to conduct any real-estate transactions. I cannot return to Belarus, because I no longer have a national passport, so we are stuck at the moment.
“It is an uncertain situation that does not have a simple solution. So we have to be careful what we say and do to protect our relatives in Belarus. But we are still planning our future to go back to Minsk. This uncertain status we have does not have a simple solution.”