Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the reply and for the efforts that have been made to date in relation to the report that he has given there. It is obvious that the people in Belarus are being subjected to one of the most major crackdowns in their history.

It was Jim Larkin who famously said that "an injury to one is an injury to all". It is in that spirit of solidarity that we have raised this issue here today. The rights of citizens and workers are the bedrock of any civilised society. It follows then that the way a government treats those who seek and assert such rights is the litmus test for the legitimacy of any government's claim to represent the people of any country.

I raised the particularly serious situation of Mr. Gennadyi Fedynich. Mr. Vasili Beresnev is in a similar situation. Mr. Beresnev is also a kidney cancer survivor. With one kidney, his conditions are similar. Both Vasilii and Gennadyi are cancer survivors and there are no check-ups for oncology in correctional facilities.

Mr. Vatslav Oreshko suffers from a chronic ophthalmological condition. The prison and correctional facility conditions with no medical attention worsened it to the degree that his retina is detaching itself, and he is basically blind. Medical facilities need to be allowed into the prison.

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