TALLINN, Estonia — A Catholic activist in Belarus was handed a three-year prison sentence Friday on charges that Western diplomats have denounced as politically driven, the latest move in the authorities’ sweeping crackdown on the country’s civil society. Uladzislau Beladzed, 33, who taught the catechism at the city’s Cathedral of the Holy Name of the … Read more
TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law into effect that significantly tightens control over various religious denominations and organizations. The law, published on the presidential website this week, mandates that all denominations and religious groups reapply for state registration, which authorities reserve the right to refuse. It’s the latest step in … Read more
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 law theoretically applies to any former president and members of his or her family. In reality, it only is relevant to … Read more
FILE – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during a meeting with foreign correspondents, July 6, 2023, in Minsk, Belarus. On Monday, Dec. 25, Lukashenko said that Russia has completed its shipments of tactical nuclear weapons to his country, an initiative that raised strong concerns in neighboring Poland and elsewhere in the region. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, … Read more
TALLINN, Estonia — During his three years in a Belarusian penal colony, human rights activist Leanid Sudalenka says he and other political prisoners were regularly deprived of family visits, phone calls and parcels. He nearly died when COVID-19 swept through the facility. And he was forced to spend the last nine days of his sentence … Read more
TALLINN, Estonia — Two journalists were detained in Belarus on Friday, a Belarusian journalist association reported, the latest step in a crackdown against dissent in recent years. Chief editor of the Ranak television channel, Yulia Dauletava, and correspondent Lyudmila Andenka were detained in the city of Svetlahorsk in southeastern Belarus and accused of contributing to … Read more
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — An exiled Belarus activist on Tuesday presented a second dossier of evidence to the International Criminal Court that he said proves the personal involvement of President Alexander Lukashenko in the illegal transfer of children to Belarus from Russian-occupied towns in Ukraine. Pavel Latushka, a former Belarusian culture minister, said some of … Read more
(Reuters) – Russia and Ukraine are locked in a stalemate on the frontlines of their war and the two sides need to sit down and negotiate an end to the conflict, Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian leader of Belarus and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said over the weekend. “There are enough problems on … Read more
TALLINN, Estonia — The authoritarian president of Belarus invited Hungary’s prime minister to visit his country, which has faced increasing isolation over the government’s relentless crackdown on dissent and support of ally Russia’s war with Ukraine. President Alexander Lukashenko extended the invitation to Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter … Read more
Up to date September 3, 2023 at 5:03 a.m. EDT|Revealed September 3, 2023 at 2:02 a.m. EDT Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky arrives at courtroom in Kyiv on Saturday. (Reuters) The Nobel Basis is not going to invite ambassadors from Russia and Belarus to this yr’s awards ceremony in Stockholm, reversing its earlier choice after backlash … Read more