Breaking News Live Updates: Belarus opposition leader freed from jail after US mediation
00:30 (IST) Jun 22
Belarus has released prominent dissident Siarhei Tsikhanouski, who is married to opposition leader in exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, along with 13 other individuals. This development followed an unusual visit from a high-ranking U.S. official, as confirmed by Tsikhanouskaya's representatives on Saturday. The release occurred shortly after Belarusian officials disclosed that President Alexander Lukashenko had discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump's Ukraine representative in Minsk. Keith Kellogg's visit marked the first by a senior U.S. official to Belarus, a nation closely aligned with Moscow, in several years.
Tsikhanouskaya's official Telegram channel featured footage showing Tsikhanouski, with a shaved head and thin appearance, stepping down from a white minibus with a broad smile. The video captured an emotional moment as he embraced his wife whilst supporters cheered.
"My husband is free. It's difficult to describe the joy in my heart," Tsikhanouskaya told reporters. She noted, however, that their mission continues as more than 1,100 political prisoners remain incarcerated in Belarus.
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Belarus frees dissident Siarhei Tsikhanouski, 13 others after a rare visit from top U.S. envoy
Belarus has freed Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a key dissident figure and the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and 13 others following a rare visit by a senior U.S. official, Mr. Tsikhanouskaya's team announced on Saturday (June 21, 2025). Mr. Tsikhanouski, a popular blogger and activist who was imprisoned in 2020, arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, alongside 13 other political prisoners, his wife's team said. The release came just hours after Belarusian authorities announced that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko met with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine in Minsk. Keith Kellogg became the highest-ranking U.S. official in years to visit Belarus, Moscow's close and dependent ally. A video published on Mr. Tsikhanouskaya's official Telegram account showed Mr. Tsikhanouski disembarking from a white minibus, smiling broadly despite his shaved head and emaciated frame. He pulled his wife into a long embrace as their supporters applauded. 'My husband is free. It's difficult to describe the joy in my heart,' Ms. Tsikhanouskaya told reporters. But she added her team's work is 'not finished' while over 1,100 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus. Mr. Tsikhanouski, known for his anti-Lukashenko slogan 'stop the cockroach,' was jailed after announcing plans to challenge the strongman in the 2020 election. Following his arrest, his wife ran in his stead, rallying large crowds across the country. Official results of the election handed Mr. Lukashenko his sixth term in office but were denounced by the opposition and the West as a sham. A crackdown snuffed out protests after 2020 election Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets in the aftermath of the August 2020 vote, in the largest protests in the country's history. In the ensuing crackdown, more than 35,000 people were detained, with many beaten by police. Prominent opposition figures either fled the country or were imprisoned. Mr. Tsikhanouski was sentenced to 19 1/2 years in prison on charges of organising mass riots. Mr. Lukashenko has since extended his rule for a seventh term following a January 2025 election that the opposition called a farce. Since July 2024, he has pardoned nearly 300 people, including imprisoned U.S. citizens, seeking to mend ties with the West. At the meeting in Minsk, Mr. Lukashenko hugged and warmly welcomed Mr. Kellogg and the American delegation to his residence. 'I really hope that our conversation will be very sincere and open. Otherwise, what is the point of meeting? If we are clever and cunning in front of each other, we will not achieve results,' Mr. Lukashenko said. 'You have made a lot of noise in the world with your arrival.' Mr. Lukashenko's press secretary, Natalya Eismont, told Russian state media hours later that he freed the 14 prisoners following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Kellogg's visit might pave the way for the lifting of some US sanctions against Minsk, imposed over the brutal crackdown against the 2020 protests and Mr. Lukashenko's support of Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine. 'Lukashenko is clearly trying to get out of international isolation, and the release of such a large group of political prisoners signals a desire to start a dialogue with the U.S. in order to soften international sanctions,' Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told The Associated Press. 'After five years, Lukashenko is trying to loosen the knot with which the Kremlin tied him, using him for the war against Ukraine,' Mr. Karbalevich said. Belarus has allowed the Kremlin to use its territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine, and also to station its forces and nuclear weapons there. Others remain behind bars Many other prominent dissidents still languish in Belarusian jails, among them Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, a human rights advocate serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely denounced as politically motivated. Mr. Bialiatski, founder of Viasna, Belarus' oldest and most prominent rights group, was arrested in 2021 during raids by the country's main security agency that still goes by its Soviet-era name, the KGB. In March 2023, he was convicted on charges of smuggling and financing actions that 'grossly violated public order,' and sentenced to 10 years. Authorities labelled him especially dangerous because of alleged 'extremist' tendencies. He, his family and supporters say the charges against him are politically motivated, and a U.N. panel of human rights experts called on Belarus to release him. In 2022, when Mr. Bialiatski was behind bars, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with the prominent Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties. Mr. Bialiatski has been serving his sentence at a penal colony for repeat offenders in the city of Gorki. The facility is notorious for beatings and hard labour. Mr. Bialiatski's wife warned last year about his deteriorating health, saying the 62-year-old battles multiple chronic illnesses. Also behind bars is Viktor Babaryka, a former banker who was widely seen in 2020 as Mr. Lukashenko's main electoral rival, and Maria Kolesnikova, a close ally of Mr. Tsikhanouskaya and charismatic leader of that year's mass protests. With her close-cropped hair and trademark gesture of forming her hands into the shape of a heart, Mr. Kolesnikova became an even greater symbol of resistance when Belarusian authorities tried to deport her. She responded by tearing up her passport at the border and walking back into Belarus. A journalist walks free, but many more languish Released alongside Mr. Tsikhanouski was longtime Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty correspondent Ihar Karnei, the U.S. government-funded broadcaster confirmed. Mr. Karnei, who had also worked with prominent Belarusian and Russian newspapers, had been serving a three-year service on extremism charges he rejected as a sham. 'The release was a big surprise for me," Mr. Karnei told AP in a phone interview Saturday. "I didn't believe it until the very end, but now I understand that other political prisoners deserve the same.' He said that he spent about six months in solitary confinement. 'Most people suffer simply for their beliefs and do not deserve these terrible conditions and terms,' Mr. Karnei said. RFE/RL's Belarusian service had been designated extremist in the country, a common label handed to anyone who criticizes Lukashenko's government. As a result, working for it or spreading its content has become a criminal offense. 'We are deeply grateful to President Trump for securing the release of this brave journalist, who suffered at the hands of the Belarusian authorities,' the broadcaster's CEO Stephen Capus said Saturday in a press release. Mr. Karnei was detained several times while covering the 2020 protests. Unlike many of his colleagues, he chose to stay in Belarus despite the ensuing repression. He was arrested again in July 2023, as police raided his apartment seizing phones and computers. The group Reporters Without Borders says Belarus is Europe's leading jailer of journalists. At least 40 are serving long prison sentences, according to the independent Belarusian Association of Journalists. Many face beatings, poor medical care and the inability to contact lawyers or relatives, according to activists and former inmates. Belarus also freed an Estonian national who had set up an NGO to raise funds for Belarusian refugees. According to the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Allan Roio was detained last January, and sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison on charges of establishing an extremist organisation.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Neighbourhood policy at work: India to fly home Nepal, Sri Lanka citizens from Iran
In a major diplomatic outreach to its neighbours, India said Saturday it will evacuate nationals of Nepal and Sri Lanka who are stranded in Iran and want to leave the country. Officials in Delhi framed it as an example of India's 'neighbourhood first policy' — of helping its neighbours in times of crisis, be it conflict, natural calamity or pandemic. This announcement came on the day two more flights, operated by the Iranian Mahan Air, landed in Delhi. The Indian embassy in Tehran, in a post on X, said, 'On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy's evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka.' 'The citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka may urgently reach out to the Embassy, either on the Telegram channel or over the emergency contact numbers: +989010144557;+989128109115; +989128109109,' it stated. Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba expressed Kathmandu's gratitude. In a post on X, she thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar 'for India's swift assistance in helping to evacuate Nepali nationals from Iran'. 'India's support in Nepal's evacuation efforts is a reflection of the strength of Nepal-India ties,' she said. Sources said about 16 Nepal nationals are in touch with the Nepalese embassy in Delhi. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post, said, 'Sri Lanka extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of India for the timely assistance to evacuate Sri Lankan nationals from Iran alongside Indian citizens. This act of solidarity exemplifies the strong and enduring partnership between Sri Lanka and India, and is deeply appreciated by the people of Sri Lanka.' So far, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated from Iran. 'Another evacuation flight from Mashhad landed in New Delhi at 1630 hrs on 21 June with 310 Indian nationals from Iran. With this, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated,' Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said. A group of about 290 Indian nationals, including students, reached Delhi late Friday night and early Saturday after being evacuated from Iran as its war with Israel intensified. On Wednesday, India announced the launch of Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran. 'Operation Sindhu flight brings citizens home. India evacuated 290 Indian nationals from Iran, including students and religious pilgrims by a charter flight. The flight arrived in New Delhi at 2330 hrs on 20 June and was received by Secretary (CPV& OIA) Arun Chatterjee,' Jaiswal wrote on X. 'Government of India is grateful to the Government of Iran for the facilitation of the evacuation process,' he said. The first batch of 110 Indian nationals, evacuated under Operation Sindhu, arrived in India Thursday, with many evacuees sharing firsthand accounts of the frightening situation they witnessed before being moved to safer locations. This is not the first time that Delhi has stepped in to evacuate citizens of its neighbours. In the early days of the Ukraine war, India evacuated nationals of neighbouring countries along with its own. Delhi managed to persuade Tehran to open Iranian airspace for the evacuation of around 1,000 Indians via the north-eastern town of Mashhad. Sources said Delhi, after days of negotiations, moved its nationals to Mashhad and secured overflight permissions from Iran and Turkmenistan to fly Indians out of harm's way. Mashhad is close to Iran's border with Turkmenistan, and India found an air corridor for a safe flight out. Indians were moved from Tehran to Qom and then to Mashhad, with the help of the Indian embassy and Iranian authorities. India's ties with Iran and Israel puts it in a delicate spot, where it has to do some diplomatic balancing act. Delhi has strategic stakes with Iran – from Chabahar port to shared concerns on Pakistan and Afghanistan. So, it has been very careful in its statements. It has a very strategic security and defence partnership with Israel as well. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Russia ready to strike back with nukes if Ukraine uses dirty bomb, threatens former President
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued another round of nuclear saber-rattling, warning that any use of a 'dirty bomb' by Ukraine would trigger a 'mirror response', which will involve tactical nuclear weapons from the Russian side. These statement, shared on his Telegram channel, marks Medvedev's latest attempt to raise the stakes as the West remains preoccupied with the escalating Israel-Iran war in the Middle East. In the post, he mocked Washington's shifting focus, suggesting that the US would now be too consumed with defending Israel to sustain its support for Ukraine. Also Read: Bombing Iran might do the opposite of what the west wants, Medvedev warns against forcing Tehran into a corner His commentary came about President Vladimir Putin's earlier comments at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he stated that if Ukraine were to decide to use a "dirty bomb" against the Russian Federation, it would be the last mistake of the Kiev regime. Live Events In the same tone, Medvedev warned that Russia has "plenty" of such weapons and is well-prepared for proportional retaliation with a clean bomb, referring to a tactical nuclear weapon. "That would be, of course, an extraordinarily dangerous provocation that would demand a proportionate response. With what? A clean bomb—a tactical nuclear weapon?" Medvedev wrote. A dirty bomb, also known as a radiological dispersal device (RDD), is a weapon that combines conventional explosives (such as dynamite) with radioactive material. When detonated, the explosion disperses radioactive material into the surrounding area, contaminating it. The main goals of a dirty bomb are to cause environmental disruption, economic damage, and psychological terror rather than mass casualties from radiation. He dismissed the environmental and humanitarian consequences of such a response, only offering a chilling suggestion to Ukrainian leaders: 'Take a stroll through the Chernobyl exclusion zone or watch the TV series of the same name to get some inspiration.' His comments come amid warnings from Russian officials about Ukraine allegedly preparing radioactive provocations, claims that have not been substantiated by international watchdogs but are now being elevated by top Russian leadership. Earlier this week, the Russian Security Council warned about the "catastrophic consequences" of any Ukrainian use of radiological weapons, referencing intelligence concerns reported by state outlet Izvestia. But Medvedev didn't stop with Ukraine. Turning to the intensifying Israel-Iran war, he described it bluntly as a 'useful distraction' for Russia, while mocking American geopolitical bandwidth. Medvedev cynically welcomed the US pivot, suggesting Trump-aligned Republicans were never keen on backing Ukraine in the first place. Yet, he warned that the Israel-Iran standoff risks spiraling into a global conflict, which US President Donald Trump himself thinks. In a final scathing line, Medvedev ridiculed Europe's moral and political standing, calling its leadership a 'freak show,' and mocking French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It is hard to decipher whether this is strategic posturing or genuine escalation, but Medvedev's unfiltered words sometimes offer a troubling glimpse into the Kremlin's worldview.
