Lukashenka Said Ready To Sign Contingency Decree On Presidential Powers
April 24, 2021 13:15 GMT
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Belarusian state media say Alyaksandr Lukashenka has said he will sign a decree that would vest presidential powers in the country s Security Council if he is unable to function as president.
Many governments already consider Lukashenka s claim to the presidency illegitimate since a disputed reelection in August 2020 and with a brutal crackdown continuing against opposition protests eight months after the vote.
His critics have dismissed previous pledges by Lukashenka for future constitutional changes and elections as stalling tactics.
As Western sanctions and calls for a new election and Lukashenka s exit have mounted, the authoritarian five-term president has increasingly looked to Moscow for support.
Police in Belarus have reportedly detained the chairman of opposition Belarusian Popular Front (BNF) party, Ryhor Kastusyou, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent following a disputed presidential election that handed victory to strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Four associates of Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya have pleaded not guilty to charges of organizing protests against authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka as their trial started on April 12 in the southeastern city of Homel.
More Than 400 People Convicted In Belarus Over Postelection Protests
March 17, 2021 11:31 GMT
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MINSK More than 400 people have been convicted so far in a brutal crackdown by authorities against pro-democracy protesters in Belarus following a disputed presidential election seven month ago. To date, prosecutors have sent 468 criminal cases to courts against 631 people in connection with participation in illegal mass events and protests that grossly violate public order, the Prosecutor-General s Office said in a statement on March 17, adding that of those cases sent to courts, more than 400 persons have already been convicted.
Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country s legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.
Jailed Belarusian Blogger Losik Ends Hunger Strike, Put In Solitary Confinement
March 16, 2021 09:20 GMT
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Ihar Losik, a popular blogger and RFE/RL consultant jailed in Belarus since last June on charges his supporters say are trumped up, has ended a hunger strike and is now in solitary confinement.
Losik ended his hunger strike on March 15, his wife, Darya Losik, told He was placed in solitary confinement for five days for going on the hunger strike. He was on the hunger strike for four days. He is still in solitary confinement now, Darya Losik said, adding that she and her husband s lawyer would travel in the coming days to the detention facility in Zhodino where her husband is being held.