Belarus regime steps up ‘purge’ of activists and media

Alexander Lukashenko leading ‘vicious operation to eviscerate critical voices’ and civil society, rights groups warn Aleysa Ivanova wakes up each morning wondering when the knock on her door will come. “You understand you can be next. Every day I wake up, I think ‘maybe it’ll be tomorrow, maybe today. Maybe they’ll come for me this

Lithuania toughens Belarus border with razor wire to bar migrants

Lithuania began building a 550-km (320-mile) razor wire barrier on its border with Belarus on Friday after accusing Belarusian authorities of flying in migrants from abroad to send illegally into the European Union. The government said the military-style wire coil would cost 4.9 million euros ($5.81 million) to put up and run along most of

Lukashenko orders closure of Belarus border with Ukraine – BelTA

Belarus’ leader Alexander Lukashenko on Friday ordered the closure of the border with Ukraine, seeking to block what he called an inflow of weapons to coup-plotters detected by his security services, BelTA state news agency reported. The move appears to deepen a standoff between Belarus and outside powers angered by his government’s forcing down of

EU agrees on increased sanctions against Belarus

EU foreign ministers gathering in Luxembourg have approved a set of tougher sanctions targeting sectors that will impact the Belarusian regime, according to diplomats. European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday increased the pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko by approving tougher sanctions on entities supporting his regime, diplomats said. The agreement, struck at a meeting in Luxembourg,

BBC journalists walk out of press conference in Belarus after detained blogger brought out

Two BBC correspondents walked out of a Belarusian press conference Monday after officials produced detained journalist Roman Protasevich to discuss last month’s forced landing of the commercial airliner he was on. “We have just walked out,” tweeted BBC Ukrainian correspondent Jonah Fisher. “Not taking part when he is clearly there under duress.” “We have walked out from

NATO warns Moscow, Minsk against threatening its allies

NATO’s head has warned Russia and Belarus against threatening the alliance’s allies, following the forced landing of a passenger plane within the EU by Belarusian authorities, in comments published on Sunday. “We are of course ready, in an emergency, to protect and defend any ally against any kind of threat coming from Minsk and Moscow,” NATO Secretary

Prominent Belarusian Political Analyst Flees Country

A prominent Belarusian political analyst has fled the country, saying he fears being imprisoned, days after being named by detained journalist Raman Pratasevich in a televised interview widely considered to have been given under duress. Pratasevich, who was arrested after a fighter jet intercepted a Ryanair flight on May 23 and forced it to land in Minsk,

EU bans Belarus airlines as opposition urges G7 sanctions

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

Belarus enacts new rules restricting citizens from leaving

Minsk’s border agency has announced new rules that will make it nearly impossible to leave the country. As citizens attempt to flee Belarus, longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko appears to be closing all the exits. Belarus’ border security agency on Monday announced a severe tightening of already strict rules limiting citizens’ ability to exit the country

NATO restricts Belarusian access to HQ

Personnel at Belarus’ diplomatic mission to NATO will have their access restricted at the alliance’s headquarters, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, following the forced landing of a passenger plane by Minsk. Belarus is not a member of NATO but has had ties with the military alliance since 1992 following the fall of the Soviet