human rights defender

Henadz Fiadynich

Actions and Campaigns

Urgent support needed

Medical assistance

Organization affiliation

The Belarusian Radio-Electrical Manufacturing Workers' Trade Union

HRD's year of birth

1957

HRD's Gender

Man

Type of HRD

Trade union leader

HRD's thematic area of engagement

Labour rights

HRD's geographical origin

Rural

Current Status

Pardoned

HRD's bio and work

Henadz was born in a village in the Brest region. He graduated from the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute in Minsk. He worked as an engineer, then as a senior engineer. He was the chairman of the factory's trade union committee. At the age of 33, he headed the Belarusian Radio-Electrical Manufacturing Workers' Trade Union, once the largest industrial trade union in Belarus. This made Henadz the youngest trade union leader in the history of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus.

Henadz has spent his whole life supporting workers and defending their rights, for which he has repeatedly been persecuted by the authorities. In 2018, he was sentenced to 4 years of home inprisonment for his active trade union work. The Lukashenko regime has always fought against independent trade unions. In 2022, the authorities designated the Belarusian Radio-Electrical Manufacturing Workers' Trade Union as an extremist formation.

Henadz has two sons and grandchildren. He suffers from heart issues and diabetes.

Detained since

Apr 19, 2022

Date of release

Sep 11, 2025

Charge(s)

Extremism
Other
Subversion

Sentence

9 years

Latitude: 53.15

Longitude: 29.19

Geolocation of detention

Country or area of detention

Region of detention

Europe: Eastern Europe

Location of detention - City/Town

Babrujsk

Location of detention - Facility

Penal colony No. 2. 213800, Babrujsk, vulica Sikorskaha 1

Recent case update / evolution

On September 11, 2025, it was revealed that 52 political prisoners of the Belarusian regime had been forcibly transferred to Lithuania. Among those released was Henadz Fiadynich.

Any other relevant documents

Director-General’s report on the latest development regarding the situation of freedom of association in Belarus and compliance with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance by the Government of Belarus of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), ILC.112/CAN/D/Special sitting Belarus-C.87-C.98 https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/director-generals-report-latest-development-regarding-situation-freedom

Application of International Labour Standards 2024, Report III (Part A), Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations International Labour Conference, 112th Session, 2024 https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_911183.pdf