Imprisoned Trade Union Hero and Svensson Prize Laureate Released
Yarashuk, to the left, smiles after being released Photo: Private
“We received the joyful news last night that Aliaks
andr Yarashuk has been released, and we’ve been waiting anxiously to have it confirmed,” said Frode Alfheim, President of the Union Strength Federation and Chair of the Arthur Svensson Prize Committee.
By: Egil Brandsøy
Aliaksandr Yarashuk, the imprisoned trade union leader from Belarus and recipient of the 2025 Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights, has finally been freed.
He had been imprisoned since April 2022 for his peaceful efforts to defend fundamental rights and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Yesterday, Yarashuk was released along with 51 other prisoners as part of an agreement between Belarus and the United States. According to Reuters, the group—which includes several foreign nationals—has traveled to Lithuania with an American delegation.
“When we awarded Yarashuk the Arthur Svensson Prize this summer, it was with the hope of keeping his case alive. Now he is out of prison, and his struggle has inspired—and will continue to inspire—the global labour movement,” said Alfheim.
The 2025 Arthur Svensson Prize received on behalf of then imprisoned Aliaksandr Yarashuk by his son, Yury. Photo: Egil Brandsøy
A Voice the Regime Could Never Silence
Yarashuk is the President of BKDP, the national centre for independent trade unions in Belarus, Vice President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and a board member of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Following the peaceful protests in 2020, the regime responded with brutal repression. More than 40 trade union leaders were imprisoned, and all independent unions were banned.
“He is in prison because he believes in justice. It’s a symbol of how far authoritarian regimes will go to crush freedom and silence voices that challenge their power,” said Lizaveta Merliak, leader of the exile-based organization Salidarnast, during the award ceremony in Oslo in June.
Yarashuk's son, Yury and Lizaveta Merliak Photo: Egil Brandsøy
Family Kept Hope Alive
At the ceremony in Oslo this summer, Yarashuk’s son, Yury Yarashuk, accepted the prize on behalf of his father. He described him as a tireless fighter.
“My father is my hero. Even now, after all he has endured, I know he would do it all again. He would stand with his comrades—as a brother and a friend,” said Yury.
Yury and his father, Aliaksandr Yarashuk Photo: Private
He also emphasized what the recognition meant to the family.
“This prize is an important acknowledgment of all he has sacrificed. My father has dedicated his life to the fight for workers’ rights and human dignity in Belarus.”
Solidarity That Makes a Difference
The Union Strength Federation has for years been a strong voice for imprisoned trade union leaders in Belarus. The Arthur Svensson Prize awarded to Yarashuk was intended both as support and as pressure on the regime.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has also welcomed the release. In a statement, they emphasized that this is a positive step, but reminded the world that many trade union comrades remain behind bars.
“Even as we celebrate today, many trade union leaders are still imprisoned in Belarus. The struggle is not over,” said Frode Alfheim.
Frode Alfheim is the current leader of the Svensson Prize Committee. Photo: Egil Brandsøy
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The moment described in this article — Yury accepting the Arthur Svensson Prize on behalf of his still-imprisoned father — is one of the most quietly powerful images in recent labour rights history. The fact that the award was given with the deliberate intention of keeping pressure on the Belarusian regime, and that it appears to have contributed to Yarashuk's eventual release, shows how international recognition can carry real political weight. As a politics and human rights student currently studying authoritarian responses to civil society, I found University Edexcel Assignment Help resources particularly useful when building a case study around the post-2020 crackdown on independent trade unions in Belarus. The reminder that many comrades remain imprisoned means this story is very…
The part that stayed with me was that Aliaksandr Yarashuk’s son accepted the Arthur Svensson Prize on his father’s behalf while he was still imprisoned, because it puts a very personal face on what can otherwise feel like a distant political or labour-rights story. The article also mentions that Yarashuk was released together with 51 other prisoners, while noting that many trade union leaders in Belarus remain behind bars, which makes the news feel hopeful but also unfinished. It reminded me how difficult it can be to keep attention on people who are separated from their families and ordinary lives, whether the context involves HND Assignment Helper in UK or much more serious struggles like this one; I wonder how…