The Belarusian Radio and Electronic Workers' Union (REP) has informed the Committee for Freedom of Association of the International Labour Organization (ILO) about prejudiced and illegal detentions and searches in union activists' apartments, and about the search and confiscation of the equipment from the office of the Brest representative office of the Trade Union.

The statement addressed to the ILO lists numerous violations admitted by militiamen in the course of searches. In total, eight union activists have suffered.

The document notes, in particular, that documents, personal things, activists' money resources, including from a purse, computer system units and notebook computers, belonging to the members of the Trade Union as their property and used for the needs of their organization, were illegally confiscated in the course of the searches.

The apartment of one of the activists, which was under security signalling system, was opened with the help of those, who are obliged to protect it (under the contract on security protection, key duplicates are handed over to the security service); and after a search the apartment was again put under security control.

The office and safe of the representative office of the REP Trade Union in the Brest Region were opened by militiamen without any notice and presence of the office official in charge. Apart from equipment, the trade-union bulletins "Zavodskaya Prokhodnaya" (Factory Checkpoint) and the seal of the registered primary trade-union organization of the "Tsvetotron" Brest Factory – a REP member – were confiscated.

The office was sealed up; and for two days its permanent employees could not get in. The work of the Trade Union in the region was practically paralysed.

The searches in the apartments of the trade-union lawyer Zhanna Zaprivarina and activist Nikolai Pokhabov lasted for more than 5 hours in the presence of minor children, who received psychological trauma. Ms Zaprivarina was not allowed to use legal aid of an advocate; she was forbidden to answer telephone calls, open the door to anybody and communicate with those present. During the search, apart from personal things and money, documents and data carriers related to her professional work in the Trade Union were confiscated.

The REP Trade Union asks to consider its statement as additional information to Case No. 2090 on violations of the rights of trade unions in Belarus.