Belarus KGB questions factory workers over backing Viktar Babaryka in 2020 election

Workers at the Rechytsa Metal Products Plant have been summoned en masse — those who in 2020 signed in support of Viktar Babaryka's nomination in the presidential election. This was reported by human rights defenders from "Homiel Viasna." 

People are being asked why they are dissatisfied with the current authorities and why they signed for an alternative candidate to Lukashenka during the 2020 election campaign. The security forces describe such signatures as violations. Some are being forced to write "repentance" notes under dictation, containing the admission: "I was mistaken in failing to properly assess the socio-political situation, for which I now deeply repent and commit to refraining from similar violations in the future."

A mandatory part of such an "interview" is a phone inspection. Apparently, not everyone manages to pass this inspection, as some workshops have already reported cases of people being dismissed after returning from such a meeting. Officially, the dismissal is processed as mutual agreement of the parties.

Factory workers say that the deputy director of the plant for security, regime, and personnel, Aliaksandr Sytsko, is invariably present at these interviews. He previously worked at the Investigative Committee — first in Rechytsa and later in Loyew. 

According to Euroradio, several Belarusian state institutions have conducted similar questioning of employees who signed nomination petitions for opposition candidates in the 2020 presidential election since the beginning of 2026. The practice of “blacklisting” also appears to be continuing: not only people detained during the post-election protests, but also those who signed nomination petitions for candidates other than Alexander Lukashenko are reportedly being denied jobs in state institutions, effectively subjecting them to a professional ban.