22 February 2002
Union for Solidarity of Workers Dismissed by Regime established in Brest

 The establishment of a Union for Solidarity of Workers Dismissed by the Regime has been announced in Brest.
The organization unites local activists of Belarusian political parties and NGOs who either campaigned for the opposition or served as election observers in Belarus' 2001 presidential election, won by authoritarian incumbent Aleksandr Lukashenko, and have since then lost their jobs.
They include Igor Maslovsky, chairman of the Brest branch of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Georgy Rutsky, local leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, and Yevgeny Belasin, of the Belarusian Popular Front. Mr. Rutsky formerly headed the Brest District Seed Inspectorate. The two others are former faculty members of
Brest State University.
The aim is to "show the public and the authorities that those who have been dismissed are united by solidarity and mutual support," says Mr. Maslovsky. "We will continue our political and public activities, from now on at the professional level." The organization plans to "resist the authorities' harassment of politically active citizens, offer concrete
support to those fired for political reasons, and inform the public about political rights violations in the Brest region." The founders do not intend to seek official registration for the Union.
Meanwhile, Brest's Justice Office has initiated court proceedings to close down one of the region's largest NGOs, the Center for Civic Initiatives (Vezha). The trial has been set for March 4. Vezha has received two "official warnings" for alleged violations of NGO regulations, which is enough for a closure.