Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The third matter I have included for today's Topical Issue debate comes from Deputies Joan Collins and Thomas Pringle who wish to discuss the serious deterioration of prison conditions and the health of imprisoned independent trade union leaders and activists in Belarus. There are a lot of other people as well as trade union leaders in prison in the same country.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and I appreciate that. I must first say that I am disappointed that the Tánaiste is not here to take this Topical Issue matter. These are very important issues. Time is allocated for Topical Issue Debate to deal with these affairs. We will, however, receive a stock reply from the Minister of State who is here at the moment.

We have brought this issue to the House due to the worryingly rapid decline of the health and conditions for imprisoned members of independent trade unions in Belarus. This centres largely around the ongoing persecution of members of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions and its affiliated unions. When the repression started, 19 trade union leaders were arrested, followed by months of arrests of ordinary members, trials and imprisonment. The Belarusian Radio and Electronic Industry Workers' Union, also known as REP, has been the hardest hit. Its office and accounts were taken over by the State and its members have been mercilessly persecuted. Belonging to the REP is itself now a crime and punishable by up to six years imprisonment. Their leader, Gennady Fedynich, was given the harshest sentence of nine years in maximum security. He is a cancer survivor and is heavily diabetic. There are now serious fears for his life. The cruelty of Belarusian prisons is unspeakable. Imprisoned members of trade unions are facing solitary confinement, denial of medical care, hard labour and freezing and inhumane conditions. Belarus has been sanctioned by the International Labour Organization, ILO, and has been condemned by the International Trade Union Confederation, the UN Human Rights Commission and the European Parliament. Our own Irish Congress of Trade Unions has written to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the issue. The situation for imprisoned trade unionists is rapidly getting worse. This has now become a matter of life or death. I ask the Government to make any intervention possible to prioritise an immediate guarantee of full medical care, visitation by family and inspections by the international groups as requested by the ILO. I also ask the Government to explore all avenues to pressure Belarus to respect freedom of assembly through membership of trade unions, to remove the ban on independent trade unions and release the prisoners. This must include taking a strong stance condemning all oppression of trade unions and trade union members across the world.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I mean no offence to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, who is here in the Chamber and I thank him for coming here today to take this Topical Issue matter.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

No offence taken.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The reality is that the Government holds Topical Issue Debate in contempt. The Ceann Comhairle has raised this previously on numerous occasions with regard to the attendance of Ministers here. I ask that he would raise it again with the Government. I have had numerous Topical Issue matters and only once has a Minister with responsibility been in attendance here. This is disrespectful to the House. Topical Issue Debate is part of the routine of the House and the Ministers should make themselves available. They get plenty of notice as we must submit our matters on time. This is an ongoing problem that we should raise at every opportunity.

In July 2022, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, was written to by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions about the situation in Belarus. He was asked if he would make some demands for access by independent union representatives to meet the jailed representatives in Belarus. We do not know exactly what he did, if anything.

The Belarusian State has since then stepped up its persecution of union membership. Since April 2022 the Belarusian State has mounted a continuous onslaught on the members of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions and its affiliated unions, including two industrial affiliates, the Free Trade Union of Metal Workers and the Belarusian Radio and Electronic Industry Workers' Union. Other union activists were arrested during the next few months and charged with bogus charges which ranged from insulting the President to membership in an extremist organisation. Indeed, if one could be charged with insulting the president in this country there would be people in jail here in relation to that. This shows the spurious nature of the charges being used.

The leaders of Belarusian democratic trade unions, including REP leaders and activists, have been imprisoned on trumped up extremist charges for over a year now. All this time they have been held in horrific conditions of KGB detention centres, prisons and correctional facilities and denied decent basic human rights. The autocratic Belarusian regime tries its hardest to demonise democratic trade unions and present their leaders as criminals. We should use all actions in our power to make that case so that independent union representation should be able to visit them in prison.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Collins and Pringle for raising this important issue. As the Deputies have stated, I will take the matter on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin.

The deterioration of the human rights situation in Belarus is gravely concerning. Reports of the continued use of torture and ill-treatment against those in custody and the especially harsh detention conditions for political prisoners is deeply alarming.

The Government and the EU have been working intensively to respond to the situation in Belarus by providing support to those who have been affected by the campaign of repression targeted against protestors and dissidents and by sanctioning those who are responsible.

There were 1,481 political prisoners in Belarus as of 13 July 2023 and an estimated 5,000 new politically-motivated criminal trials last year. Some 50,000 politically motivated arrests have been made, more than 11,000 criminal cases are under investigation and 1,405 NGOs have been forced to close by the regime or are undergoing closure.

As the Deputies outlined, the situation for trade union leaders is particularly difficult. The UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus has documented that the Belarusian authorities have intensified their systematic attacks on independent trade unions by subjecting their leaders and members to intimidation and criminal persecution. The UN Special Rapporteur has documented almost 50 trade union activists and heads of independent trade unions who have been placed behind bars in Belarus.

At the Human Rights Council this month, Ireland made national statements, joined an EU statement on the situation in Belarus, and also supported the extension of the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to investigate the situation. Ireland used this process to condemn the systematic repression of civil society organisations and to signal our alarm at reports of the continued use of torture and ill-treatment against those in custody and the especially harsh detention conditions for political prisoners.

We urged Belarus to release unconditionally all political prisoners and to cease harassment and reprisals against individuals exercising their human rights, including trade union leaders. Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the democratic movement of Belarus, last visited Ireland in 2023 to receive the 2022 Tipperary International Peace Prize. During her visits, Ms Tsikhanouskaya met with the President, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, the Ceann Comhairle, the Cathaoirleach and Members of the Oireachtas. Ms Tsikhanouskaya also met with an Oireachtas delegation led by the Ceann Comhairle in recent weeks. We will continue to maintain our support for the work of those who are defending democracy and human rights in Belarus.

Ireland is providing tangible support for Belarusian civil society projects through the European Endowment for Democracy and through the Viasna Human Rights Centre which provides medical, psychological and humanitarian assistance to current and former political prisoners.

Ireland is providing funding to support independent Belarusian media, including approximately €200,000 over 2022 and 2023 to support the continued operations of the Zerkalo.iowebsite, one of the most popular independent online news portals for Belarus. The information provided by independent media such as Zerkalo is vital to counter regime propaganda and provide fact-based reporting to people within and outside Belarus.

Ireland also supports the work of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, a coalition of independent NGOs working to collect, consolidate, verify, and preserve evidence of gross human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the Belarusian authorities in the run-up to the fraudulent 2020 presidential election and its aftermath.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
Link to this: Individually | In context | 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.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, for his response. Thankfully, it seems as though Ireland is doing all that it can to ensure that this is raised through the proper channels.

I welcome the fact that the human rights council has been raising it here in Ireland and making statements. Pursuing it and pushing it through human rights is the way to go. I welcome that; it is vitally important. I welcome the fact that Ireland is working with the International Accountability Platform for Belarus. It is important to work with the NGOs and make sure that they are supported to work with that.

Difficult as it might be, it is probably important to try to keep some method of open communication with the regime there as well to try to put pressure on it to behave, act responsibly and maybe get rid of itself in the long run because that is ultimately the only goal that will lead to a proper functioning government in Belarus.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We have to bear in mind, as I call on the Minister of State, that as well as the awful travesties of justice that the Deputies outline, Lukashenko has now agreed to take atomic weapons from Russia. I believe that Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is an inspirational young female leader and deserves support in challenging Lukashenko and his mob. Anyway, the floor is the Minister of State's.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It shows the significance of the issue that the Ceann Comhairle gave comment on it. It lends great gravity to the particular issue in Belarus. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for that.

I thank Deputies Joan Collins and Pringle for their responses which were constructive and in a spirit of partnership. It is evident that there is support across this House for the protection of human rights in Belarus, from the Ceann Comhairle down.

I would like to reassure all Deputies that Ireland and the EU will continue to give this situation our focused attention, and continue to extend assistance to those who seek to promote and protect human rights in Belarus, and take action against those who are responsible for violating them. We will also continue to raise the situation in international multilateral bodies such as the UN and, obviously, with our European partners.

Deputy Joan Collins made a specific issue of medical aid. It is a matter I will bring to the attention of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin.

It is important to add that, together with our EU partners, we have condemned the involvement of Belarus in Russia's unprovoked and unjustified full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. In response to the invasion, since late February, the EU has adopted a wide range of sanctions targeting both Russia and Belarus. The measures targeting Belarus build on restrictive measures first introduced by the EU following the presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020 and the crackdown on peaceful protesters, democratic opposition and journalists that followed.

On 24 February 2023, the European Council decided to extend for a further year the restrictive measures linked to the ongoing involvement of Belarus in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the human rights situation in the country. The EU will continue to consider adopting further sanctions against the Lukashenko regime in response to internal repression in Belarus and the regime’s support for the war against Ukraine. Ireland is actively involved in these discussions and supports co-ordinated EU sanctions and other measures including action at the UN, to hold Belarus accountable for its violations of human rights and the rule of law, and its complicity in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I would like to conclude by reaffirming the commitment of the Government to the promotion and protection of human rights and democracy in Belarus.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We hope to have an opportunity on our return in September to have a debate on the situation in Belarus.