Yulia Slivko, a plasterer at Grodnopromstroy construction firm in the city of Grodno, started receiving anonymous threats after she was elected chairperson of her company’s strike committee. On 20 August someone called her from an unknown number and said: ‘If you don’t keep your mouth shut, keep in mind: your son’s out and about on the street. Anything could happen.’”

Yulia was later invited for a “conversation” at a local police station, and also received a call from someone who said they were a social worker - who threatened to put her son on a register for socially vulnerable persons. She sent her son away to protect him.

On 22 August, a number of Telegram channels alleged that Yulia was engaged in prostitution and that she paid money to workers for participating in strikes. The Telegram channels also published personal phone numbers of Yulia and her son. On 1 September, she was interrogated by police. She was fired the same month.