Latest news with #Sapelka
15 hours ago
- Politics
Belarus frees more prisoners while simultaneously cracking down on dissent
TALLINN, Estonia -- Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko announced pardons for 16 more prisoners on Wednesday, a gesture that comes as the unrelenting crackdown on dissent continues. The newly pardoned prisoners were convicted on a variety of criminal charges, including extremism — a charge often used against dissidents and government critics in Belarus. Human rights advocates welcomed the release of the prisoners, but stressed that it is taking place as more people are being arrested in politically driven cases. Last month, the Belarusian government pardoned and released 14 prisoners, but at least 60 more people were arrested on politically motivated charges, said Pavel Sapelka, a rights advocate with the Viasna human rights center, the country's oldest and most prominent rights group. Sapelka, in conversation with The Associated Press, compared the situation in Belarus to 'revolving doors, where new political prisoners take the place of those released." Mass arrests and convictions of government critics in Belarus have continued since 2020, when Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in office in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, in the biggest demonstrations that the country had ever seen. Authorities unleashed a violent crackdown, detaining and beating thousands and driving many more into exile abroad. The suppression of dissent drew international condemnation, and the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus. As of Wednesday, Viasna has designated 1,164 people behind bars as political prisoners. The number includes 38 journalists and the group's founder, Ales Bialiatski, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. At least eight political prisoners have died behind bars. Lukashenko, who in January secured another term in office in another election the opposition denounced as a sham, has recently been pardoning some political prisoners, seeking to improve ties with the West. In total, he has pardoned and freed more than 300 prisoners since July 2024, including some U.S. citizens and other foreigners. Last month, Belarusian authorities released prominent opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 others and brought them to Lithuania. Their release came just hours after Belarusian authorities announced that Lukashenko met with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Commenting on the high-profile release on Tuesday evening, Lukashenko said 'God forbid' those freed last month died behind bars. 'We would have been blamed for doing it to them,' he said. 'So it's politics.' Sapelka told AP on Wednesday that there likely aren't any prominent dissidents among the 16 newly released prisoners.
Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Belarus frees more prisoners while simultaneously cracking down on dissent
TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko announced pardons for 16 more prisoners on Wednesday, a gesture that comes as the unrelenting crackdown on dissent continues. The newly pardoned prisoners were convicted on a variety of criminal charges, including extremism — a charge often used against dissidents and government critics in Belarus. Human rights advocates welcomed the release of the prisoners, but stressed that it is taking place as more people are being arrested in politically driven cases. Last month, the Belarusian government pardoned and released 14 prisoners, but at least 60 more people were arrested on politically motivated charges, said Pavel Sapelka, a rights advocate with the Viasna Human Rights Centre, the country's oldest and most prominent rights group. Sapelka, in conversation with the Associated Press, compared the situation in Belarus to 'revolving doors, where new political prisoners take the place of those released.' Mass arrests and convictions of government critics in Belarus have continued since 2020, when Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in office in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, in the biggest demonstrations that the country had ever seen. Authorities unleashed a violent crackdown, detaining and beating thousands and driving many more into exile abroad. The suppression of dissent drew international condemnation, and the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus. As of Wednesday, Viasna has designated 1,164 people behind bars as political prisoners. The number includes 38 journalists and the group's founder, Ales Bialiatski, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. At least eight political prisoners have died behind bars. Lukashenko, who in January secured another term in office in another election the opposition denounced as a sham, has recently been pardoning some political prisoners, seeking to improve ties with the West. In total, he has pardoned and freed more than 300 prisoners since July 2024, including some U.S. citizens and other foreigners. Last month, Belarusian authorities released prominent opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 others, and brought them to Lithuania. Their release came just hours after Belarusian authorities announced that Lukashenko met with President Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Commenting on the high-profile release on Tuesday evening, Lukashenko said 'God forbid' those freed last month died behind bars. 'We would have been blamed for doing it to them,' he said. 'So it's politics.' Sapelka told AP on Wednesday that there likely aren't any prominent dissidents among the 16 newly released prisoners. Karmanau writes for the Associated Press.
San Francisco Chronicle
18 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Belarus frees more prisoners while simultaneously cracking down on dissent
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko announced pardons for 16 more prisoners on Wednesday, a gesture that comes as the unrelenting crackdown on dissent continues. The newly pardoned prisoners were convicted on a variety of criminal charges, including extremism — a charge often used against dissidents and government critics in Belarus. Human rights advocates welcomed the release of the prisoners, but stressed that it is taking place as more people are being arrested in politically driven cases. Last month, the Belarusian government pardoned and released 14 prisoners, but at least 60 more people were arrested on politically motivated charges, said Pavel Sapelka, a rights advocate with the Viasna human rights center, the country's oldest and most prominent rights group. Sapelka, in conversation with The Associated Press, compared the situation in Belarus to 'revolving doors, where new political prisoners take the place of those released." Mass arrests and convictions of government critics in Belarus have continued since 2020, when Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in office in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, in the biggest demonstrations that the country had ever seen. Authorities unleashed a violent crackdown, detaining and beating thousands and driving many more into exile abroad. The suppression of dissent drew international condemnation, and the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus. As of Wednesday, Viasna has designated 1,164 people behind bars as political prisoners. The number includes 38 journalists and the group's founder, Ales Bialiatski, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. At least eight political prisoners have died behind bars. Lukashenko, who in January secured another term in office in another election the opposition denounced as a sham, has recently been pardoning some political prisoners, seeking to improve ties with the West. In total, he has pardoned and freed more than 300 prisoners since July 2024, including some U.S. citizens and other foreigners. Last month, Belarusian authorities released prominent opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 others and brought them to Lithuania. Their release came just hours after Belarusian authorities announced that Lukashenko met with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Commenting on the high-profile release on Tuesday evening, Lukashenko said 'God forbid' those freed last month died behind bars. 'We would have been blamed for doing it to them,' he said. 'So it's politics.' Sapelka told AP on Wednesday that there likely aren't any prominent dissidents among the 16 newly released prisoners.
Winnipeg Free Press
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Belarus frees more prisoners while simultaneously cracking down on dissent
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko announced pardons for 16 more prisoners on Wednesday, a gesture that comes as the unrelenting crackdown on dissent continues. The newly pardoned prisoners were convicted on a variety of criminal charges, including extremism — a charge often used against dissidents and government critics in Belarus. Human rights advocates welcomed the release of the prisoners, but stressed that it is taking place as more people are being arrested in politically driven cases. Last month, the Belarusian government pardoned and released 14 prisoners, but at least 60 more people were arrested on politically motivated charges, said Pavel Sapelka, a rights advocate with the Viasna human rights center, the country's oldest and most prominent rights group. Sapelka, in conversation with The Associated Press, compared the situation in Belarus to 'revolving doors, where new political prisoners take the place of those released.' Mass arrests and convictions of government critics in Belarus have continued since 2020, when Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in office in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, in the biggest demonstrations that the country had ever seen. Authorities unleashed a violent crackdown, detaining and beating thousands and driving many more into exile abroad. The suppression of dissent drew international condemnation, and the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus. As of Wednesday, Viasna has designated 1,164 people behind bars as political prisoners. The number includes 38 journalists and the group's founder, Ales Bialiatski, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. At least eight political prisoners have died behind bars. Lukashenko, who in January secured another term in office in another election the opposition denounced as a sham, has recently been pardoning some political prisoners, seeking to improve ties with the West. In total, he has pardoned and freed more than 300 prisoners since July 2024, including some U.S. citizens and other foreigners. Last month, Belarusian authorities released prominent opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 others and brought them to Lithuania. Their release came just hours after Belarusian authorities announced that Lukashenko met with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Commenting on the high-profile release on Tuesday evening, Lukashenko said 'God forbid' those freed last month died behind bars. 'We would have been blamed for doing it to them,' he said. 'So it's politics.' Sapelka told AP on Wednesday that there likely aren't any prominent dissidents among the 16 newly released prisoners.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Belarus continues crackdown on political dissent, rights group says
Authorities in Belarus are continuing their crackdown on political dissent even as they release some prisoners, the country's leading rights group told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Last month, the Belarusian government pardoned and released 14 prisoners, but at least 60 more people were arrested on politically motivated charges, said Pavel Sapelka, a rights advocate with the Viasna human rights centre. In May, the centre counted more than 100 politically driven arrests, Sapelka said. "The steamroller of repressions doesn't stop and the authorities continue to stifle any dissent in Belarus, opening new high-profile cases," Sapelka said. "No one, absolutely no one can feel safe in Belarus." Mass arrests and convictions of government critics in Belarus have continued since 2020, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in office in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, in the biggest demonstrations that the country's ever seen. Authorities unleashed a violent crackdown in response, detaining and beating thousands and driving many more into exile abroad. The crackdown drew international condemnation, and the European Union and the United States imposed sanctions on Minsk. Viasna has recorded 1,174 people behind bars as political prisoners. The number includes 38 journalists and the group's founder, Ales Bialiatski, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. At least eight political prisoners have died in prison. Lukashenko, who in January secured another term in office in another election the opposition denounced as a sham, has recently been pardoning some of the political prisoners, seeking to improve ties with the West. In total, he has pardoned and freed more than 300 prisoners since July 2024, including some US citizens and other foreigners. Last month, Belarusian authorities released prominent opposition figure Siarhei Tsikanouski and 13 others and brought them to Lithuania. Their release came just hours after Belarusian authorities announced that Lukashenko met with US President Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in the capital Minsk. But rights advocates argue that the situation in Belarus hasn't changed and authorities have recently opened several new high-profile cases, which indicates their intention to continue the crackdown. At least 20 people have been arrested in the case against Belaruski Hajun, a Belarusian activist group that monitors troops movements in Belarus, Sapelka said. On Monday, Viasna also reported the arrest of popular Belarusian signer Aleh Hamenka, who is accused of taking part in anti-government protests. Another case involves sociologists from the Wardomacki sociological research laboratory, according to Sapelka. Nils Muižnieks, the UN's special rapporteur for human rights in Belarus, recently said that "there is no sign of improvement in the human rights situation in Belarus and the authorities are disregarding offers of cooperation."
