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.
Tag: Human Rights and Human Rights Violations
Body of Reuters Photographer Was Mutilated in Taliban Custody, Officials Say
The body of Danish Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize winner killed in Afghanistan, was unrecognizable when it was brought to a Kandahar hospital, one official said.
Murder Trial in Sweden Could Shine Unsavory Light on Iran’s New President
Nearly 3,000 miles from Tehran where mass executions were carried out in 1988, a murder trial in Sweden could produce new revelations that complicate life for Iran’s president-elect.
Qaddafi’s Son Is Alive. And He Wants to Take Libya Back.
In his first meeting with a foreign journalist in a decade, Seif al-Islam described his years in captivity — and hinted at a bid for Libya’s presidency.
Biden’s China Strategy Meets Resistance at the Negotiating Table
Washington hopes to find areas of collaboration, while also confronting Beijing on disputed issues. But talks between the two sides began with harsh words from Chinese officials.
U.S. Sanctions Cuba for Crackdowns on Protesters
Among those facing the human rights sanctions are Cuba’s defense minister and special forces troops who swept up protesters in a wave of arrests larger than any other crackdown over the last few years, if not decades.
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.”
Israeli Spyware Maker Is in Spotlight Amid Reports of Wide Abuses
Data leaked to a consortium of news organizations suggests that several countries use Pegasus, a powerful cyberespionage tool, to spy on rights activists, dissidents and journalists.
US Backed Haiti’s Jovenel Moïse Even as Democracy Eroded
Washington dismissed warnings that democracy was unraveling under President Jovenel Moïse, leaving a gaping leadership void after his assassination.
Israeli Companies Aided Saudi Spying Despite Khashoggi Killing
Ignoring concerns that Saudi Arabia was abusing Israeli spyware to crush dissent at home and abroad, Israel encouraged its companies to work with the kingdom.