Latest news with #Ziankovich
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Families of detained Americans plead that they are not forgotten
'One of the most challenging things' about being imprisoned in Russia, Marc Fogel recalled, 'was feeling like I might be forgotten.' Fogel, a teacher, was detained for three and half years before being released in mid-February – becoming one of the first American detainees freed during President Donald Trump's second term. Fogel returned to Washington, DC, on Wednesday – in front of a mural of Americans detained abroad – to join with the families of others still imprisoned to call for their release. 'I am one of the lucky ones, and I want you to know that I and my family will work relentlessly for you all, because we want all of your loved ones here soon,' he said. Fogel was among several Americans who had been freed from detention abroad who attended Wednesday's mural unveiling. It was the third iteration of the project, organized by the Bring Our Families Home Campaign and created by artist Isaac Campbell, displaying 10-foot-tall faces of Americans detained abroad on an alley wall in the Georgetown neighborhood of the nation's capital. 'It gives them a name. Their faces, as you can see, are larger than life, so that they can no longer be ignored,' said Scott St. Clair, whose son, Joseph St. Clair, is a veteran imprisoned in Venezuela. He is one of nine Americans there designated as wrongfully detained. The mural shows St. Clair, Ksenia Karelina, Mahmood Habibi, Lucas Hunter, Andre Khachatoorian, David Barnes, Jorge Marcelo Vargas, Robert Gilman, Wilbert Castaneda, Youras Ziankovich, Shahab Dalili and Zack Shahin. Karelina and Ziankovich have both been freed – Ziankovich's release happened on the same day the mural was unveiled. The families of those whose faces are now displayed – held in countries like Venezuela, Russia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates – spoke of the pain of their loved ones' detentions. 'I want you to imagine something, imagine someone you love with all your heart confined in a box, four walls, no lights, no windows, feeling isolated, in immense pain and completely uncertain if they will ever be free. Unfortunately for us, that nightmare is our everyday reality,' said the granddaughter of Vargas, a US citizen detained in Venezuela. They also called for the US government to do its utmost to bring their loved ones home. 'Please, Mr. President, members of the Congress, use your authority, use your voices, use your resolve. Let the world know that America does not abandon its people,' said Patti St. Clair.
CNN
04-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Families of detained Americans plead that they are not forgotten
'One of the most challenging things' about being imprisoned in Russia, Marc Fogel recalled, 'was feeling like I might be forgotten.' Fogel, a teacher, was detained for three and half years before being released in mid-February – becoming one of the first American detainees freed during President Donald Trump's second term. Fogel returned to Washington, DC, on Wednesday – in front of a mural of Americans detained abroad – to join with the families of others still imprisoned to call for their release. 'I am one of the lucky ones, and I want you to know that I and my family will work relentlessly for you all, because we want all of your loved ones here soon,' he said. Fogel was among several Americans who had been freed from detention abroad who attended Wednesday's mural unveiling. It was the third iteration of the project, organized by the Bring Our Families Home Campaign and created by artist Isaac Campbell, displaying 10-foot-tall faces of Americans detained abroad on an alley wall in the Georgetown neighborhood of the nation's capital. 'It gives them a name. Their faces, as you can see, are larger than life, so that they can no longer be ignored,' said Scott St. Clair, whose son, Joseph St. Clair, is a veteran imprisoned in Venezuela. He is one of nine Americans there designated as wrongfully detained. The mural shows St. Clair, Ksenia Karelina, Mahmood Habibi, Lucas Hunter, Andre Khachatoorian, David Barnes, Jorge Marcelo Vargas, Robert Gilman, Wilbert Castaneda, Youras Ziankovich, Shahab Dalili and Zack Shahin. Karelina and Ziankovich have both been freed – Ziankovich's release happened on the same day the mural was unveiled. The families of those whose faces are now displayed – held in countries like Venezuela, Russia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates – spoke of the pain of their loved ones' detentions. 'I want you to imagine something, imagine someone you love with all your heart confined in a box, four walls, no lights, no windows, feeling isolated, in immense pain and completely uncertain if they will ever be free. Unfortunately for us, that nightmare is our everyday reality,' said the granddaughter of Vargas, a US citizen detained in Venezuela. They also called for the US government to do its utmost to bring their loved ones home. 'Please, Mr. President, members of the Congress, use your authority, use your voices, use your resolve. Let the world know that America does not abandon its people,' said Patti St. Clair.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Belarus opposition warns against concessions to Lukashenko over release of US prisoner
By Mark Trevelyan (Reuters) - The United States should not be "fooled" by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko into offering concessions following the release of a U.S. prisoner freed as a gift to Donald Trump, a senior aide to the exiled opposition leader of Belarus said. U.S. officials announced on Wednesday the release of Youras Ziankovich, 47, a naturalised American jailed in Belarus on charges of conspiring to kill Lukashenko and stage a coup. Belarus said it freed him at the request of the U.S. The release came just ahead of a visit to Washington by position leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, exiled since a 2020 presidential election her supporters say was stolen from her. "Ziankovich is already in the States, safe, the hell for him is over. The regime tried to break him, forced him to confess, record videos for propaganda, but I am glad that his moral spirit is OK," Tsikhanouskaya's chief political adviser Franak Viacorka told Reuters. "No doubt that it's a sort of 'present' to the American administration... but let's not be fooled," he said. "We can speak about concessions only when all or a majority of political prisoners are free, and we are not yet there." Tsikhanouskaya, who welcomed the release of Ziankovich and thanked Trump and his team for their efforts to get him out, said she is visiting the U.S. "to strengthen support for democratic Belarus". She says more than 1,200 political prisoners are still jailed in the former Soviet state, which rounded up all notable opponents of Lukashenko in a violent crackdown on protests after the 2020 vote. Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, extended his 31-year rule in another election in January this year that Western countries called a sham. He denies Belarus holds political prisoners. Ziankovich was shown on Belarus state TV in prison in September 2024 confessing to the alleged plot and asking for a pardon. His appearance - pale, gaunt and wispy-haired - was almost unrecognisable from pictures taken several years earlier. For years, the West has treated Lukashenko as a pariah and imposed waves of sanctions on Belarus. The U.S. has had no ambassador there since 2008. Ivan Kravtsov, secretary of the opposition's coordination council in exile, said the release of Ziankovich was part of a Lukashenko strategy to re-engage with Washington by offering a quick win to Trump. He speculated Washington might respond by returning some diplomats to Minsk, but said Lukashenko would face a challenge keeping the U.S. president's interest. "It could stall at any moment, and I think Lukashenko also understands that - that's probably why he's doing these unilateral gestures." Dmitry Bolkunets, another exiled opposition activist, said Lukashenko "wants to make peace with the Americans", but his room for manoeuvre was limited by his dependence on Moscow. "The Kremlin will not allow Lukashenko to act as an independent political figure."
Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Belarus opposition warns against concessions to Lukashenko over release of US prisoner
Belarus opposition warns against concessions to Lukashenko over release of US prisoner The United States should not be "fooled" by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko into offering concessions following the release of a U.S. prisoner freed as a gift to Donald Trump, a senior aide to the exiled opposition leader of Belarus said. U.S. officials announced on Wednesday the release of Youras Ziankovich, 47, a naturalised American jailed in Belarus on charges of conspiring to kill Lukashenko and stage a coup. Belarus said it freed him at the request of the U.S. The release came just ahead of a visit to Washington by position leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, exiled since a 2020 presidential election her supporters say was stolen from her. "Ziankovich is already in the States, safe, the hell for him is over. The regime tried to break him, forced him to confess, record videos for propaganda, but I am glad that his moral spirit is OK," Tsikhanouskaya's chief political adviser Franak Viacorka told Reuters. "No doubt that it's a sort of 'present' to the American administration... but let's not be fooled," he said. "We can speak about concessions only when all or a majority of political prisoners are free, and we are not yet there." Tsikhanouskaya, who welcomed the release of Ziankovich and thanked Trump and his team for their efforts to get him out, said she is visiting the U.S. "to strengthen support for democratic Belarus". She says more than 1,200 political prisoners are still jailed in the former Soviet state, which rounded up all notable opponents of Lukashenko in a violent crackdown on protests after the 2020 vote. Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, extended his 31-year rule in another election in January this year that Western countries called a sham. He denies Belarus holds political prisoners. Ziankovich was shown on Belarus state TV in prison in September 2024 confessing to the alleged plot and asking for a pardon. His appearance - pale, gaunt and wispy-haired - was almost unrecognisable from pictures taken several years earlier. For years, the West has treated Lukashenko as a pariah and imposed waves of sanctions on Belarus. The U.S. has had no ambassador there since 2008. Ivan Kravtsov, secretary of the opposition's coordination council in exile, said the release of Ziankovich was part of a Lukashenko strategy to re-engage with Washington by offering a quick win to Trump. He speculated Washington might respond by returning some diplomats to Minsk, but said Lukashenko would face a challenge keeping the U.S. president's interest. "It could stall at any moment, and I think Lukashenko also understands that - that's probably why he's doing these unilateral gestures." Dmitry Bolkunets, another exiled opposition activist, said Lukashenko "wants to make peace with the Americans", but his room for manoeuvre was limited by his dependence on Moscow. "The Kremlin will not allow Lukashenko to act as an independent political figure." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Arab Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Belarus releases US citizen who was jailed for years
TALLINN, Estonia, May 1, (AP): Belarus on Wednesday released a US citizen who had been jailed on allegations of plotting to assassinate the country's authoritarian leader, charges his supporters and the US government called bogus. Youras Ziankovich, a lawyer who has dual Belarusian and U.S. citizenship, was convicted on a number of charges, including plotting a coup against Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, and given an 11-year sentence in September 2022. He then had six months added to his sentence later that year. In August 2024, a court in Belarus handed Ziankovich an additional two-year sentence on charges of "malicious disobedience to the prison administration,' bringing his overall prison term to 13 1/2 years. The US government on Wednesday identified the man as Youras Ziankovich but his name has also been rendered as Yuras Zyankovich in different news accounts. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who designated Ziankovich as wrongfully detained in February, announced his release on Wednesday and said he would return to the United States soon. Rubio acknowledged "Lukashenko's humanitarian gesture' and thanks the Lithuanians, calling them "incredible allies' who have been "supportive of our efforts these past few months to bring Americans home.' Ziankovich was arrested in Russia in April 2021 together with Alexander Feduta, who served as a spokesman for Lukashenko when he was first elected in 1994. Feduta later joined the opposition. Russia's Federal Security Service, the country's main security agency also known as the FSB, said at the time without offering any evidence that Ziankovich and Feduta came to Moscow to meet with opposition-minded Belarusian generals and were plotting a military coup. In 2020, Belarus was rocked by its largest-ever protests following an election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office but was condemned by the opposition and the West as fraudulent. In response to the demonstrations, Lukashenko unleashed a harsh crackdown on dissent. According to Viasna, Belarus' top human rights group, 65,000 people have been arrested since the protests began and hundreds of thousands have fled Belarus. Pavel Sapelka, a rights advocate with Viasna, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Ziankovich has been "under constant and harsh pressure from the authorities' behind bars and lost a lot of weight in harsh prison conditions. Since last year, Lukashenko pardoned about 250 political prisoners. He also released one American from custody this past February.
