Latest Alexander Lukashenko News
Belarus election is poised to extend the 30-year rule of 'Europe's last dictator'
The last time Belarus staged a presidential election in 2020, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner with 80% of the vote. That triggered cries of fraud, months of protests and a harsh crackdown with thousands of arrests. Not wanting to risk such unrest...
An imprisoned Nobel laureate underscores human rights abuses in Belarus
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The yellow name tag that Ales Bialiatski wears on his prison garb sets him apart from other inmates in Penal Colony No. 9 in eastern Belarus. It marks Bialiatski as a political prisoner to be singled out for harsh treatment. Because he's been labeled an...
Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after being held incommunicado for over 700 days
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — 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. ...
Catholic priest in Belarus sentenced to 11 years as crackdown on dissent continues
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Catholic priest in Belarus on Monday was convicted on charges of high treason for criticizing the government and handed an 11-year sentence, in the first case of politically-driven charges against Catholic clergy since Belarus became independent in the 1991 collapse of...
Belarus' strongman leader pardons 20 more prisoners, but rights groups say repression continues
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 20 more people that rights activists describe as political prisoners, a statement on the president's website said Saturday. The announcement came amid persistent oppression in the run-up to...
Belarus convicts well-known activist and sentences him to 6 years in prison
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Belarus convicted a well-known opposition activist and sentenced him to six years in prison, the country's oldest and most prominent human rights group, Viasna, reported Friday. The move is the latest in the unabating crackdown against dissent that the country's...
Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in the fighting in Russia's Kursk region and facing logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks, Ukraine’s military intelligence said Thursday. The intelligence agency, known under its acronym GUR,...
An altercation erupts at a high-level meeting of a Russia-dominated economic union
MOSCOW (AP) — A tightly-scripted meeting of the Russia-dominated economic alliance of several ex-Soviet nations briefly went awry Thursday when two leaders engaged in bickering during a live broadcast of the event. Russian President Vladimir Putin and other heads of states attended...
Belarusian authorities arrest 7 journalists who worked for an independent newspaper
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities have arrested seven journalists who worked for an independent regional news outlet, a media watchdog said Thursday, the latest move in a sweeping crackdown on dissent and freedom of speech by the country’s authoritarian President Alexander...
Belarus court jails journalist for four years for criticizing authoritarian president
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — 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...
