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RFE/RL's Belarus Service

RFE/RL's Belarus Service is one of the leading providers of news and analysis to Belarusian audiences in their own language. It is a bulwark against pervasive Russian propaganda and defies the government’s virtual monopoly on domestic broadcast media.

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Also by RFE/RL's Belarus Service

December 13, 2024
Belarus Adds 8 Months To Former RFE/RL Journalist's 3-Year Sentence

Former RFE/RL correspondent Ihar Karney, currently serving a three-year prison sentence for "cooperating" with the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), has been handed an additional eight-month term for "disobedience" inside the prison where he is incarcerated.
December 10, 2024
Lukashenka Reveals Plans For Russian Oreshnik Missile Deployment In Belarus

Belarus' authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka said "several dozen" Russian nuclear warheads are now deployed in his country and that about 30 sites are being considered as potential locations Oreshnik missile systems, which were recently combat-tested in a massive strike on Ukraine.
December 09, 2024
Belarus Issues New Pardons, But Hundreds Of Political Prisoners Remain

Belarus's authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, announced the pardon of 29 political prisoners, even as crackdowns on dissent intensify ahead of the January presidential election and while many hundreds of similar detainees remain behind bars.
December 02, 2024
Belarusian Authorities Raid Home of Grandmother Of Former Belsat Journalist

Belarus law enforcement officers have raided the home of the 85-year-old grandmother of Syarhey Skulavets, a former journalist for the opposition media outlet Belsat, another sign of the government's continued crackdown against independent media.
November 28, 2024
Exclusive: Belarus State Firm Hosted Russian 'Filtration' Camp Where Ukrainians Were Allegedly Tortured

An investigation by RFE/RL and its partners reveals for the first time that Russian forces operated a so-called “filtration” camp in Belarus on the grounds of a company ultimately controlled by authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s government.
November 25, 2024
RFE/RL Journalist Andrey Kuznechyk Marks 3 Years In Belarusian Prison

RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk marked his third year in prison on November 25 on charges, he, his employer, and human rights organizations call politically motivated.
November 22, 2024
Lukashenka Threatens Internet Shutdown If There Are Protests During Presidential Vote

The authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has threatened to shut down the Internet in the event of mass protests during or after the upcoming presidential election, after the previous vote in 2020 erupted in unprecedented unrest amid opposition allegations it was rigged.
November 21, 2024
Belarusian Opposition Leader Condemns Extradition Of Activist From Vietnam

The office of Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has issued a statement condemning the recent extradition from Vietnam to Belarus of Vasil Verameychyk, who fought on the Ukrainian side against invading Russian troops.
November 20, 2024
Vietnam Repatriates Belarusian Opposition Activist Who Fought For Ukraine

Vietnam has extradited a Belarusian national who fought as a volunteer in Ukraine on Kyiv's side to Minsk, Belarusian media reported on November 20.
November 20, 2024
Belarus Pardons 32 More Political Prisoners Of Estimated 1,300 Behind Bars

Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, has pardoned an additional 32 political prisoners, according to reports from the pro-government Pul Pervogo Telegram channel, although an estimated 1,300 such prisoners remain behind bars in the country.
November 19, 2024
Four Belarusian Families Face Trial As Crackdown On 2020 Protesters Continues

Four years after mass protests erupted against Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s authoritarian rule in Belarus, trials against those who took to the streets continue.
November 16, 2024
12 Ukrainians Held By Belarus On 'Extremism' Charges

At least 12 Ukrainian citizens have been detained in Belarus on "extremism" charges, according to Kyiv's former ambassador to Minsk and current ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, Ihor Kyzym.
November 12, 2024
Jailed Belarusian Opposition Figure Kalesnikava Reportedly Meets With Father

Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava briefly met her father, Alyaksandr Kalesnikau, for the first time since December 2022, former opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich announced on November 12 on Telegram.
November 12, 2024
Polish President Refuses Group Photo At COP29 Summit Due To 'Lukashenka's Presence'

Polish President Andrzej Duda has skipped the official group photo at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, with Polish broadcaster Polsat saying the decision was driven by the presence of the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
November 11, 2024
Belarusian Artist Says Tinfoil Hat Prank Tests 'Fascistization' In Russian Society

Belarusian artist Vladislav Bokhan has repeatedly pranked teachers in Russian schools through subversive campaigns mocking Kremlin propaganda. In his latest ruse, he made teachers pose in tinfoil hats, portrayed as a protection "against foreign enemies."
November 11, 2024
Belarusian Prankster Dupes Russian Teachers Into Wearing Tinfoil Hats To Ward Off 'Foreign Enemies'

A famous Belarusian prankster who has garnered a reputation for duping schools to highlight the “fascistization of Russian society” has tricked teachers in Russia's Voronezh region into wearing pro-Russia “protective” tinfoil hats.
November 07, 2024
31 Political Prisoners Convicted Under Belarus's 'Extremism' Law Pardoned

Belarusian authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has pardoned 31 people convicted under the country’s "extremism" law.
November 05, 2024
Belarus Issues First-Ever Prison Sentence For 'Genocide Denial'

The Minsk City Court has issued the first-ever sentence in Belarus under a law passed more than two years ago for "denying the genocide of the Belarusian people."
November 02, 2024
Freed Belarusian Activist Thanks Tsikhanouskaya For Aiding Release

Belarusian activist and journalist Andrey Hnyot -- recently freed from house arrest in Serbia -- said talks involving the offices of Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic played a vital role in securing his freedom.
November 01, 2024
Another Political Prisoner Dies In Belarus Jail, Rights Group Says

A 22-year-old Russian man who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison on espionage and "facilitating extremist activities" charges has died in a Belarusian penal colony, the human rights center Vyasna said on November 1.

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