Belarus

[phkrause]

In Belarus, the native language is vanishing as Russian takes prominence

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — When school started this year for Mikalay in Belarus, the 15-year-old discovered that his teachers and administrators no longer called him by that name. Instead, they referred to him as Nikolai, its Russian equivalent.

https://apnews.com/article/belarus-language-russia-lukashenko-russification-bcc4eb1881ca6c93f98ef9951068dde7?

[phkrause]

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.

https://apnews.com/article/belarus-crackdown-babaryka-lukashenko-election-5af31d99325cafdf3b264b734ab69840?

[phkrause]

Belarus strongman wins a 7th term in an election the opposition calls a farce

The smiling face of President Alexander Lukashenko gazed out from campaign posters across Belarus on Sunday as the country held an orchestrated election virtually guaranteed to give the 70-year-old autocrat yet another term on top of his three decades in power.

https://apnews.com/article/belarus-lukashenko-election-crackdown-opposition-putin-ae937352a1340ad5ca02ab55744487e0?

[phkrause]

Belarus releases 3 people, including an American and a jailed journalist

WASHINGTON (AP) — Belarus has released three people, including an American and a journalist, who had been detained for more than three years, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/belarus-detainees-russia-white-house-1f4e19e6730a9571428232f9a3b706e3?

[phkrause]

Belarus journalist is convicted of treason and jailed for 10 years as crackdown on dissent continues

A Belarusian journalist was convicted of treason and revealing state secrets and was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a closed trial. Danil Palianski is one of 37 journalists behind bars in Belarus. Read More.

[phkrause]

Belarus sentences journalist to 4 years in prison, days after release of over 50 political prisoners

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian court sentenced Tuesday a prominent independent journalist to four years in prison, days after more than 50 political prisoners were released as part of a U.S.-brokered deal. The opposition and rights activists denounced the ruling as part of a continuing crackdown on dissent.

https://apnews.com/article/belarus-lukashenko-crackdown-journalist-sentenced-b140d14ec4fdedcaa7086f5c3349d430?

[phkrause]

Belarus frees Nobel Prize laureate Bialiatski, opposition figure Kolesnikova as US lifts sanctions

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Belarus freed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova and dozens of other political prisoners on Saturday, capping two days of talks with Washington aimed at improving ties and getting crippling U.S. sanctions lifted on a key Belarusian agricultural export.

https://apnews.com/article/belarus-us-sanctions-39a85ae9a4303974c8c4a23be6d6b858?