Emaciated after 5 years in prison, Belarusian dissident Tsikhanouski vows to fight on
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Siarhei Tsikhanouski is almost unrecognizable. Belarus' key opposition figure, imprisoned in 2020 and unexpectedly released on Saturday, once weighed 135 kilograms (298 pounds) at 1.92 meters (nearly 6'4') tall, but now is at just 79 kilos (174 pounds).
On Saturday, Tsikhnaouski was freed alongside 13 other prisoners and brought to Vilnius, the capital of neighboring Lithuania, where he was reunited with his wife, exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and their children. Speaking to The Associated Press the day after, Tsikhanouski tries to smile and joke, but struggles to hold back heavy sighs recalling what he endured behind bars.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
30 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Two tons of crystal meth worth $90M seized in Thailand before it could be smuggled out
The drugs were packed in plastic bags disguised as corn flour package Published Jun 23, 2025 • 1 minute read Department of Special Investigation officers stand guard near packages of nearly 2.4 tons of crystal methamphetamine, which were disguised as bags of corn flour, during a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, June 23, 2025. Photo by Sakchai Lalit / AP BANGKOK — Over 2 metric tons of crystal methamphetamine has been seized from a tourist boat near a pier in Eastern Thailand before it was smuggled out of the country, local authorities said Monday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Eight men were arrested Saturday in Rayong province for allegedly attempting to smuggle the nearly 2.4 metric tons (2.6 tons) through the southern border, officials said. They did not elaborate on the intended destination or the drugs' origin. If sold abroad, the drugs are estimated to be worth over 3 billion baht ($90.8 million), Thailand's Department of Special Investigation said. The drugs were packed in plastic bags disguised as corn flour packages. Each contained about one kilogram. Authorities said they also seized a van and a truck believed to be involved in the drug smuggling. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra thanked officials for their efforts and told a press conference that 'the government is serious about our policies on drugs.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. United Nations experts have said neighboring Myanmar is the source of most of the region's methamphetamine and heroin. A report from the U.N. drug agency last month said the illicit trade in methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs is growing quickly in Southeast Asia, with a record level of seizures in 2024 — 236 tons — a 24% increase over 2023. The 'Golden Triangle,' where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, is famous for the production of opium and heroin, which flourished largely because of the remote location and lax law enforcement. In recent decades, methamphetamine has supplanted opium and heroin because it is easier to make on an industrial scale. Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Relationships Editorials
Winnipeg Free Press
30 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Indonesia arrests 285 in drug crackdown and seizes over half a ton of narcotics
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities said Monday they arrested 285 people suspected of drug trafficking, including 29 women and seven foreigners, and seized over half a ton of various narcotics during a two-monthlong nationwide crackdown. Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia despite having strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers sometimes executed by firing squad. The head of the National Narcotic Agency, Marthinus Hukom, said the crackdown, launched between April and June across 20 provinces, also uncovered money laundering schemes by two drug syndicates and confiscated assets worth more than 26 billion rupiah (about $1.5 million). Thirty-six of the suspects, including 21 women, were paraded in front of reporters, along with confiscated drugs, in their orange prison uniforms and hands handcuffed. Hukom said the women arrested were mostly housewives. 'I call on Indonesian women to be more vigilant in establishing friendships both in the real world and in cyberspace,' he said during a joint press conference with officials from the security affairs ministry and the customs office who took part in the operation. One of the agency's deputies, Budi Wibowo, said authorities seized 683,885 grams (0.68 ton) of crystal meth, marijuana, ecstasy, THC, hashish and amphetamines, adding this helped stop them falling into the hands of 'more than 1.3 million people.' Wibowo also said that drug syndicates have used various methods to distribute narcotics to users via land and sea transportation or mail services. The seven foreign nationals were an American, two Kazakhs, two Malaysians, an Indian and an Australian, Wibowo said. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. In a separate operation, authorities in the province of Riau Island, exposed in May two cases of drug smuggling in its waters and seized 2.7 tons of crystal methamphetamine and 1.2 tons of ketamine, Hukom said Monday. In 2023, authorities uncovered more than 52,000 of drug cases and confiscated 6.2 tons of crystal meth, 1.1 tons of marijuana and other types of synthetic narcotics, said Mochammad Hasan of the ministry of security affairs during the press conference. Hasan said the number increased in 2024 with more than 56,000 cases and confiscated 7.5 tons of crystal meth and 3.3 tons of marijuana, with a combine value worth 7.5 trillion rupiah ($454.6 million). Authorities have arrested a total of 27,357 drug suspects by November 2024, he said. Early this month, three British nationals accused of smuggling nearly a kilogram (over two pounds) of cocaine into Indonesia were charged in a court on the tourist island of Bali. They face the death penalty under the country's strict drug laws. About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections' data showed. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
Winnipeg Free Press
30 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Czech court cancels for second time ruling that acquits former Prime Minister Babiš of fraud charges
PRAGUE (AP) — Prague's High Court canceled for the second time on Monday a lower court ruling that acquitted former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš of fraud charges in a $2 million case involving a European Union subsidy. The court returned the case for retrial to Prague's Municipal Court to deal with it, saying the lower court, which acquitted Babiš for the second time last year, did not properly assess evidence. Babiš had pleaded not guilty and repeatedly said the charges against him were politically motivated. The prosecution had originally requested a suspended sentence and a fine to be paid by the populist billionaire who left the courtroom before the verdict was announced. The municipal court acquitted Babis for the first time in 2023. Prague's High Court later canceled that decision and ordered the case to be retried at the same court. Babiš' former associate Jana Nagyová, who signed the subsidy request, will also face retrial. The case centered around a farm known as the Stork's Nest, which received EU subsidies after its ownership was transferred from the Babiš-owned Agrofert conglomerate of around 250 companies to Babis' family members. Later, Agrofert again took ownership of the farm. The subsidies were meant for medium- and small-sized businesses, which Agrofert wouldn't have been eligible for. The conglomerate later returned the subsidy. The lower court previously said what Babiš did was not considered criminal. Babi has become part of the country's opposition after his populist ANO (YES) centrist movement lost the 2021 parliamentary election. He also contended for the largely ceremonial post of president in January 2023 but lost to Petr Pavel, a retired army general. Monday's verdict comes just months before October's parliamentary election in which Babiš and his movement are predicted to win the vote.
