The European Union on Wednesday agreed additional sanctions on Belarus in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and the arrest of a dissident journalist on board in May, an EU diplomat said. The sanctions, approved by EU ambassadors and to be adopted by the bloc’s foreign ministers at a meeting… Read More EU imposes new sanctions on Belarus over forced Ryanair plane landing
Jailed Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich appeared at a news conference in Minsk on Monday saying he felt fine and had not been beaten, in what the opposition said was another public appearance made under duress. Protasevich sat alongside four officials, two of whom were in uniform, saying he had not been made to cooperate with… Read More Jailed Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich appears at news conference, opposition queries authencity
Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on Wednesday for an international tribunal to be set up to investigate what she called the “crimes” of President Alexander Lukashenko’s “dictatorship”. Lukashenko has kept a tight grip on Belarus since rising to power in 1994, and has cracked down on street protests that began last year over a… Read More Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya calls for international tribunal to probe President Alexander Lukashenko
Belarus carriers will be banned from flying over European Union territory or having access to its airports from Friday, the bloc said, as the country’s exiled opposition leader called for more joint Western sanctions. The EU decision is part of planned punitive measures against Belarus in response to Minsk scrambling a warplane to force the… Read More EU bans Belarusian airlines from flying over territory, access to airports
Russia will defend Belarus and help it if the European Union imposes economic sanctions on Minsk over the grounding of a plane and arrest of a dissident blogger, the RIA news agency cited a Russian foreign ministry official as saying. Many European nations have imposed flight bans on Belarusian aviation over the forced landing of… Read More Russia vows to support Belarus in event of EU sanctions
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a decree allowing the transfer of presidential power to the security council if he is murdered or otherwise unable to perform his duties, state Belta news agency reported on Saturday. Lukashenko said in April he was planning to change the way power in Belarus is set up. Previously, if… Read More Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signs decree to amend emergency transfer of power
Decathlete Andrei Krauchanka says that seeing hundreds of people detained for their political views in his native Belarus has been as painful as competing with a torn Achilles tendon. To support those behind bars and aid their families, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist has started a 10-day hunger strike and is auctioning his gold medal… Read More Belarusian athlete Andrei Krauchanka stages hunger striker to support jailed compatriots
The Belarus prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal case against opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, the Belta news agency said on Monday, citing prosecutor general Andrei Shved. Tsikhanouskaya fled to neighbouring Lithuania shortly after a disputed August 9 election and called for President Alexander Lukashenko to leave power. Lukashenko,… Read More Belarus launches terrorism investigation into opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
