1 year, 10 months ago

Belarus hands exiled opposition leader 15-year jail sentence

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A court in Belarus has sentenced exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to 15 years in prison after a trial in absentia on charges including conspiring to overthrow the government. "The regime takes revenge on me and all Belarusians - it takes revenge for the fact that we chose freedom in 2020, for not resigning, not giving in, but continuing to fight," Ms Tsikhanouskaya said. Ms Tsikhanouskaya ran against Mr Lukashenko instead of her husband, popular opposition politician Siarhei Tsikhanouski who was arrested in the middle of his campaign in 2020 and has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. Ms Tsikhanouskaya said that repression in Belarus is intensifying, and every day 15 to 20 people in the country are being jailed, which "shows how little confidence the regime has in itself."

Prison Opposition Belarus Sentence Lukashenko Belarusian Tsikhanouskaya Tsikhanouski Mr Lukashenko Ms Tsikhanouskaya breaking mr 15year leader jail tsikhanouskaya sign exiled prison 2020 hands opposition sentenced belarus lukashenko sentence

History of this topic

1 day, 3 hours ago

Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after being held incommunicado for over 700 days

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — An imprisoned opposition activist in Belarus resurfaced Wednesday in a video shot by a pro-government blogger after over 700 days of no contact with his family, weeks before an election that is all but certain keep the country’s strongman leader in power. “The authorities decided to show Babaryka in the run-up to the election to avoid accusations …

Belarus court jails journalist for four years for criticizing authoritarian president

Trending News

4 weeks, 1 day ago

Belarus court jails journalist for four years for criticizing authoritarian president

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — A Belarusian journalist has been sentenced to four years in prison for her critical reports chronicling a sweeping crackdown on dissent launched by the country’s authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Minsk City Court convicted Volha Radzivonava on Tuesday on charges of “insulting the president” and “discrediting Belarus” and sentenced her to four years in prison. “The authorities …

1 month ago

Belarus’ authoritarian ruler pardons 29 political prisoners amid claims of ongoing repression

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus’ authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, pardoned 29 political prisoners Monday amid what human rights groups describe as renewed oppression in the country. The mass pardons come amid a new wave of repression as the authorities prepare to hold new presidential elections in January 2025, said Viasna spokesman Pavel Sapelka. “Repression in Belarus is still growing.” The Belarusian …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Belarus grants asylum to fugitive Polish judge wanted on spying allegations

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus has granted asylum to a former Polish judge who faced espionage charges at home following his defection in May to the Kremlin-allied country. A decree published Friday by Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ autocratic president, described Tomasz Szmydt as being “prosecuted for political reasons” in Poland. Szmydt’s defection to Belarus in May trained the focus on Poland as …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Belarus grants asylum to fugitive Polish judge wanted on spying allegations

The Independent

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Belarus leader Lukashenko pardons 32 prisoners convicted for ‘extremism’

Al Jazeera

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned dozens of political prisoners, his office said, but critics warned that the crackdown on dissent continues, with more than 1,000 people still imprisoned since mass demonstrations in 2020. This marked the sixth wave of pardons of political prisoners since July this year, with a total of 178 people released, according to a tally based …

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Belarus has arrested scores of relatives of dissidents ahead of presidential vote, activists say

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarusian authorities have detained over 100 relatives of political prisoners in a new wave of arrests ahead of January’s election in which authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko is seeking a seventh term, rights activists said Friday. The Viasna human rights center said that the raids began Thursday, targeting relatives and friends of political prisoners in various cities across …

Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after no contact with her family for 20 months

Trending News

1 month, 4 weeks ago

Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after no contact with her family for 20 months

Hindustan Times

TALLINN, Estonia — Imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova has resurfaced after more than 20 months without any communication with relatives or friends and met with her father, a human rights group said Tuesday. Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after no contact with her family for 20 months Kolesnikova, one of the most popular and charismatic figures who helped lead protests …

1 month, 4 weeks ago

Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after no contact with her family for 20 months

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova has resurfaced after more than 20 months without any communication with relatives or friends and met with her father, a human rights group said Tuesday. Kolesnikova gained prominence when mass protests erupted in Belarus after the widely disputed August 2020 election gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office. The U.N. Human …

2 months ago

Belarus’ hardline president releases 31 political prisoners but crackdown persists

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus’s authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has led a harsh crackdown on opposition, pardoned and released 31 political prisoners, his office announced Thursday. The announcement said the freed prisoners had been convicted of “crimes of an extremist nature,” a description widely used for opposition figures and people arrested in the mass protests that arose in 2020 after …

2 months ago

Belarus's Lukashenko pardons 31 people convicted over 'extremism'

Firstpost

“Two women and 29 men have been pardoned,” the Belarusian presidency said in a statement, adding that 17 of them had “chronic illnesses” and seven were parents of small children Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 31 political prisoners, the latest such move that comes two months before an election in which he is set to extend his 30-year rule. …

2 months ago

Belarusian authorities launch a new wave of repression ahead of presidential vote

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarusian authorities have launched a new wave of arrests, seeking to uproot any sign of dissent ahead of January’s election in which authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko is seeking a seventh term, rights campaigners said. “The new massive wave of arrests and searches is a planned action of intimidation ahead of the election,” said Viasna’s representative Pavel Sapelka. …

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Belarus adds 1 year to imprisoned opposition activist’s sentence

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — A court in Belarus on Tuesday sentenced an imprisoned opponent of hardline President Alexander Lukashenko to an additional year behind bars for disobeying prison officials. “The new sentence sounds like a death sentence, because Palina physically may not be able to withstand another circle of hell,” her husband, Andrei Sharenda, told The Associated Press. The German Embassy …

3 months ago

Belarusian-American has his prison sentence extended amid continuous crackdown on dissent in Belarus

The Independent

3 months, 1 week ago

Lithuania refers Belarus to the ICC, alleging crimes against humanity over opposition crackdown

Hindustan Times

BRUSSELS — Lithuania on Monday referred the hard-line president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, members of his government, security officials and military officers to the International Criminal Court, accusing them of committing crimes against humanity by forcing their own people to flee the country. Lithuania refers Belarus to the ICC, alleging crimes against humanity over opposition crackdown Opposition groups in Belarus …

3 months, 1 week ago

Lithuania refers Belarus to the ICC, alleging crimes against humanity over opposition crackdown

The Independent

3 months, 4 weeks ago

Belarusians fleeing repression at home say they face new threats and intimidation abroad

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — More than a half-million Belarusians have fled their country in the past four years as the authoritarian government launched a harsh crackdown on its political opponents. In a letter to the Belarusian opposition office, she said Serbian authorities were told Hniot’s case “was politically motivated” and he “would face reprisals” if returned to his homeland. “Belarusians need …

3 months, 4 weeks ago

Belarusians fleeing repression at home say they face new threats and intimidation abroad

The Independent

4 months, 3 weeks ago

Belarus’ authoritarian leader pardons 30 out of some 1,400 political prisoners

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 30 prisoners convicted for taking part in protests, the presidential office said Friday. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile, welcomed the move but vowed to keep fighting until each of nearly 1,400 political prisoners in the country is set free. The Viasna human rights group estimates that Belarus now has …

5 months, 1 week ago

2 Belarusian journalists sentenced to prison in a closed-door trial, rights group says

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Two Belarusian journalists working for news outlets that the government of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has declared extremist have been sentenced to prison, the country’s leading human rights group said Thursday. The severe repression began when huge protests arose after the disputed 2020 presidential election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office. The rights group Viasna …

5 months, 1 week ago

Belarus’ authoritarian president pardons German man sentenced to death on terrorism charges

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus’ authoritarian leader on Tuesday granted a pardon to a German citizen who had been sentenced to death on terrorism charges. Krieger’s lawyer Vladimir Gorbach, who took part in the meeting, told the Belarusian state TV that Lukashenko said he would consider Krieger’s request for pardon and announce his decision later. Pavel Sapelka of Belarus’ Viasna human …

5 months, 2 weeks ago

Belarus frees head of banned party as Lukashenko slowly releases some political prisoners

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — The head of a banned Belarusian opposition party who had been behind bars for two years was released on Monday as the authoritarian country frees a trickle of political prisoners, according to the respected human rights group Viasna. Lukashenko announced an amnesty in early July for some seriously ill political prisoners, and 19 have been released so …

5 months, 3 weeks ago

Key events in Alexander Lukashenko’s 30 years as the iron-fisted leader of Belarus

Associated Press

Key events in the 30-year rule of Belarus’ hard-line President Alexander Lukashenko: July 20, 1994 — Lukashenko is inaugurated as president after a landslide victory in what international observers say was the post-Soviet country’s first and only genuinely free election. 1996 — Alarmed by Lukashenko’s increasingly authoritarian turn, thousands of protesters fill the streets in what became known as the …

5 months, 3 weeks ago

Leader of Belarus marks 30 years in power after crushing all dissent and cozying up to Moscow

The Independent

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Lukashenko has turned Belarus into a fragment of the USSR, …

5 months, 3 weeks ago

Leader of Belarus marks 30 years in power after crushing all dissent and cozying up to Moscow

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — For three decades, European leaders have come and gone by the dozens, but Alexander Lukashenko remains in absolute control of Belarus. “Lukashenko has turned Belarus into a fragment of the USSR, dangerous not only for its own citizens but also threatening its Western neighbors with nuclear weapons,” said independent political analyst Valery Karbalevich. He describes the Belarusian …

6 months, 3 weeks ago

Serbian court rules to extradite to Belarus a critic of its authoritarian regime

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — A Serbian court has ruled to extradite a Belarusian filmmaker and pro-democracy political activist to the authoritarian government in Minsk where he could face prison and torture, his lawyers and supporters said Friday. “Today, the lawyers of movie director Andrei Hniot received the decision of the Higher Court in Belgrade on Andrei’s possible extradition to Belarus,” said …

7 months, 1 week ago

Hungary's foreign minister visits Belarus despite EU sanctions, talks about expanding ties

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó …

7 months, 1 week ago

Hungary’s foreign minister visits Belarus despite EU sanctions, talks about expanding ties

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Hungary’s top diplomat visited Belarus on Wednesday for talks on expanding ties despite the European Union’s sanctions against the country. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó declared that “our position is clear: the fewer sanctions, the more cooperation!” The EU has slapped an array of sweeping sanctions on Belarus for the repression, which followed mass protests fueled by …

7 months, 3 weeks ago

Belarus targets opposition activists with raids and property seizures

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Authorities in Belarus on Thursday announced raids and the seizure of property belonging to 104 opposition activists who have fled the country, the latest step in a crackdown on dissent that has continued unabated for nearly four years. Belarus’ Investigative Committee said Thursday the latest raids and seizures targeted activists who criticized Belarusian authorities abroad and rallied …

8 months, 1 week ago

Exiled Belarus opposition leader says she hasn’t heard from her imprisoned husband for over 400 days

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus’ exiled opposition leader said Thursday that she hasn’t heard from her imprisoned husband for 421 days. They include Maria Kolesnikova, a leading opposition figure serving an 11-year prison sentence who hasn’t been heard from for 443 days, Mikola Statkevich, an opposition activist whose relatives haven’t heard from him for 448 days and lawyer Maxim Znak who …

8 months, 2 weeks ago

The family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure hasn’t heard from her for over 400 days

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — It’s been 434 days since the family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova heard from her, her relatives said Wednesday, on the activist’s 42nd birthday. Kolesnikova, who is serving 11 years in prison for helping organize anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020, and other imprisoned opposition figures have been held incommunicado for months on end, raising …

10 months ago

Exiled Belarus opposition leader demands news of her imprisoned husband

Associated Press

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Friday marched to the country’s embassy in Lithuania, holding a photo of her imprisoned husband and demanding information about him after a year of being incommunicado. Tsikhanouski has been behind bars since being arrested in 2020 after announcing plans to challenge authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in that year’s election. The …

10 months, 2 weeks ago

As Belarus votes in tightly controlled elections, its leader accuses the West of fueling unrest

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — The authoritarian leader of Belarus on Tuesday accused the West of trying to foment protests during parliamentary and local elections this month in order to undermine his rule, while the country’s opposition leader-in-exile denounced the vote as a “cynical farce” and called for its boycott. “Belarusians inside the country hate this regime, but they can’t openly say …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

The family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure hasn’t heard from her for a year

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — It’s been a year since the family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova received a letter from her, and no one has seen or heard from her since then, her relatives and Western officials said Wednesday. Kolesnikova, who is serving 11 years in prison for helping organize anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020, and other imprisoned …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

The family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure hasn't heard from her for a year

The Independent

11 months, 4 weeks ago

Belarusian journalist goes on trial for covering protests, faces up to 6 years in prison

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — A Belarusian journalist went on trial Friday on charges linked to his professional work covering protests, the latest move in a relentless government crackdown on dissent. “Belarus is the most repressive country in Europe, where an attempt at free speech is punished by prison.” A total of 33 Belarusian journalists are currently in prison, either awaiting trial …

1 year ago

President of Belarus gives himself immunity from prosecution and limits potential challengers

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus signed a new law Thursday that gives him lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution and prevents opposition leaders living abroad from running in future presidential elections. The new measure appears aimed at further shoring up Lukashenko’s power and eliminating potential challengers in the country’s next presidential election, which is due to take place …

1 year, 1 month ago

Belarus raids apartments of opposition activists as part of sweeping probe called latest crackdown

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus’ criminal investigation agency said Tuesday that it has conducted raids as part of a sweeping probe into an alleged attempt by the opposition to seize power three years ago. “This is the authorities’ revenge against those who have demanded criminal prosecution of Lukashenko and his entourage over the crimes they have committed.” Belarus’ Investigative Committee said …

1 year, 4 months ago

Former official under Belarus President Lukashenko to face Swiss trial over enforced disappearances

Associated Press

GENEVA — A former member of Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko’s special security forces is to face trial in Switzerland next month for the forced disappearances of political opponents in the late 1990s, rights groups said Wednesday. Activists called it a “watershed moment” in international justice that could trigger prosecutions abroad of other Belarus officials — including Lukashenko, whose regime has …

1 year, 5 months ago

Belarusian journalist faces up to 6 years in prison for opposition reporting

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — A prominent journalist went on trial in Belarus Monday, the latest step in a years-long crackdown on opposition figures, independent journalists and human rights activists. The Belarusian authorities have labeled Belsat as “extremist.” Journalists and activists in Belarus have faced large-scale repression since the August 2020 vote that handed a sixth term to President Alexander Lukashenko. Mazheika …

1 year, 6 months ago

Son of jailed Belarusian presidential hopeful handed 8-year sentence

The Independent

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Minsk District Court sentenced Eduard Babaryka, 34, to eight years in prison for …

1 year, 6 months ago

Belarus opposition leader says anonymous note alleges that her husband died in prison

The Independent

1 year, 6 months ago

Belarus opposition leader says anonymous message alleges that her husband died in prison

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Tuesday that she had received an anonymous message alleging that her imprisoned husband, also an opposition figure, died behind bars. Siarhei Tsikhanouski, 44, a popular blogger and opposition activist, was arrested in 2020 after announcing plans to run against Belarus’ authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, in presidential elections that year. She added …

1 year, 6 months ago

Belarus hands lengthy prison terms to 18 participants of 2020 protests

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — A court in Belarus on Wednesday handed lengthy prison terms to 18 participants of mass anti-government protests that shook the country in 2020, the latest step in a brutal years-long effort to stifle all and any dissent. According to the authorities, the protesters formed a resistance movement, attacked law enforcement officers, carried out acts of sabotage and …

1 year, 7 months ago

Belarus opposition group urges EU to maintain sanctions on Belarus state companies

Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland — A member of the Belarus opposition movement urged the European Union on Monday to keep sanctions against a Belarusian state fertilizer producer, warning that lifting them would generate a $1.5 billion windfall for Alexander Lukashenko’s regime as it supports Russia’s war on Ukraine. “Belaruskali is the firm that finances the deportation of Ukrainian children,” Latushka, who was …

1 year, 7 months ago

Belarusian dissident who was pulled off forced-down plane says he has been pardoned

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — The Belarusian state news agency on Monday reported that a dissident journalist who was pulled off a flight that was forced to land in the country and was later sentenced to eight years in prison says he has received a presidential pardon. He ran a Telegram messaging app channel that was widely used by participants in mass …

1 year, 7 months ago

Alexander Lukashenko health: Belarus leader misses key state event prompting ill health rumours

The Independent

1 year, 7 months ago

EU parliament calls on Belarus to stop mistreating imprisoned political hopeful

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — The European Parliament demanded Thursday that authorities in Belarus stop the mistreatment of a former presidential hopeful imprisoned for standing up to the country’s authoritarian leader and immediately release him and other political prisoners. Viktar Babaryka was handed a 14-year prison sentence in 2021 on charges that he rejected as political punishment for launching a bid to …

1 year, 8 months ago

Belarus activist Roman Protasevich jailed after his Ryanair flight is forcibly divered by regime

The Independent

A journalist arrested after Belarus forcibly diverted his Ryanair flight was sentenced to eight years in jail on Wednesday after what opposition leaders called a “fake trial”. Roman Protasevich, 27, was flying from Greece to Lithuania almost two years ago when Belarussian air traffic controllers ordered the pilots to land in Minsk on the false pretext of a bomb threat. …

1 year, 8 months ago

10-year sentence asked for journalist forced down in Belarus

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia — Prosecutors requested a 10-year prison sentence Friday for a dissident Belarusian journalist who was arrested after a warplane forced down a commercial airliner he was taking to Lithuania. Pratasevich ran a Telegram messaging app channel that was widely used by participants in mass protests against the disputed August 2020 election that gave authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko …

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21 hours, 59 minutes ago

Polish president seeks protection for Netanyahu if he attends Auschwitz anniversary event

LA Times

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1 week, 3 days ago