The convictions of Maria Kolesnikova, a fierce opponent of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, and a colleague are part of a crackdown on dissent following a disputed election last year.
Author: Valerie Hopkins
Belarus Sprinter’s Defection Sheds Light on Dictator’s Control
Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, and authoritarian leaders before him, have used sports as a propaganda tool. But defections have had a long history of puncturing their aura of invincibility.
Belarus Sprinter’s Defection Sheds Light on a Dictator’s Levers of Control
Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, and authoritarian leaders before him, have used sports as a propaganda tool. But defections have had a long history of puncturing their aura of invincibility.
Olympic Sprinter From Belarus Seeks Refuge in Japan, Fearing Jail at Home
Belarus tried to force the sprinter, Kristina Timanovskaya, to return home after she criticized her coaches for registering her for the wrong event.
In Hungary, an Embattled L.G.B.T.Q. Community Takes to the Streets
Thousands of people attended the Budapest Pride march, defying efforts by the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban to marginalize the country’s L.G.B.T.Q. community.
Pulling Levers in Exile, Belarus Opposition Leader Works to Keep Her Influence Alive
As a crackdown widens in her country, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is trying to build a broad phalanx of Western opposition to a dictatorship that she says is on its “last breaths.”
Migrants in Lithuania Caught Up in Battle Between Belarus and E.U.
The European Union member country says the president of Belarus, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, is encouraging migrants to cross their shared border as revenge for E.U. sanctions.
Campus in Hungary is Flagship of Orban’s Bid to Create a Conservative Elite
A residential college was granted about $1.7 billion by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, part of his plan to create a more nationalistic society. Critics say it is legalized theft of public funds.