Belarus: Opposition leader Tikhanovsky jailed for 18 years over protests

A Belarusian opposition leader who rallied mass protests against disputed leader Alexander Lukashenko has been jailed for 18 years. Sergei Tikhanovsky was convicted of organising riots among other charges following a trial condemned as a sham. He planned to challenge Mr Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election, but was detained before the vote. His wife,

Autocracy is Winning – The Atlantic

THE BAD GUYS ARE WINNING If the 20th century was the story of slow, uneven progress toward the victory of liberal democracy over other ideologies—communism, fascism, virulent nationalism—the 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse. By Anne Applebaum The future of democracy may well be decided in a drab office building on the outskirts

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