Latest news with #Belarus
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
'Waiting for others': Belarusians hope for more prisoner releases
WARSAW: Belarusian exile Asya watched from the sidelines in central Warsaw as a crowd greeted and applauded Sergei Tikhanovsky, the Belarus opposition figure who was unexpectedly released, barely recognizable after five years in prison. A popular blogger, Tikhanovsky, 46, was jailed in 2020, weeks before he was due to stand in presidential elections against Belarus's long-time leader, Alexander Lukashenko. His arrest was the opening salvo in a sweeping crackdown that escalated after Lukashenko claimed victory over Svetlana Tikhanovskaya — Tikhanovsky's wife, who ran in his place — in a ballot widely decried by critics and rights groups as rigged. Asya was among several hundred fellow Belarusians, living in exile in neighboring Poland, celebrating his surprise release under pressure from the United States. But her mind was with others still incarcerated. 'I am happy for those who are freed, but with each release I always look for the names of my friends,' she said. There are 1,169 political prisoners in Belarus, according to the Viasna rights group. The sight of Tikhanovsky — who lost almost half his weight and appeared to have drastically aged behind bars — has given even more urgency to securing their release, Asya said. 'Honestly, regime change is needed. But for me, the priority is for people to be freed and for them to be safe,' she said. Having been held incommunicado since March 2023, many had long feared for how Tikhanovsky was being treated. His emaciated appearance was still a shock. 'I cried all day when I saw him,' said Alexandra Khanevich, a 71-year-old activist who fled Belarus in the wake of the protests. 'My mother went through concentration camps... This is what I thought of.' Tikhanovskaya said the couple's young daughter did not recognize him. The bones on his face and fingers are visible, and the 46-year-old looks far older. 'Only when we heard his voice, we knew it was really him,' said Yulia Vlasenko, who had protested in 2020 against Lukashenko in the eastern city of Vitebsk. Others said they knew him by his distinctive ears. Tikhanovsky has broken down in tears several times when talking about his ordeal in prison, describing alleged torture and being held in solitary confinement. Prison officials had attempted to 'fatten him up' in the months before his release by giving him 'meat, fats, butter,' he told a rally in Warsaw. He believes there will be more releases. Officers from the KGB state security service — which has retained the feared Soviet-era name — were touring prisons pressuring people to sign statements asking for pardons from Lukashenko, he said. Many were hopeful his release could give a new energy to the mostly exiled Belarusian opposition movement. Tikhanovsky, who has pledged not to get in the way of his wife, said he has 'even more energy' than before he was jailed. The couple are radically different in style. Svetlana has spent five years touring Western capitals, meeting leaders in polished suits. Sergei is known for his tongue-in-cheek colloquialisms, having famously called Lukashenko a 'cockroach' in one YouTube broadcast. 'Svetlana is more of a diplomat... Sergei is like from the street,' said protester Alexandra Dobrovaya, giggling. Vitaly Moisa, a 42-year-old in construction, said he hoped the pair would be a 'double hit' for the regime, with the opposition boosted by Tikhanovsky's 'charisma.' He drove more than six hours from southern Poland to see 'hero' Tikhanovsky. 'It's hard to imagine he was not broken by such conditions,' he said. Many came to the rally with masks on, fearing retribution for their families back home if they were recognized attending the rally. Ukrainian Oleg Abrashim — who has never been to Belarus — had come with a mission: to give Tikhanovsky a hand-written letter from his Belarusian girlfriend. 'She did not want to come as it will be full of the KGB and she has not got her parents out yet,' he told AFP. Listening to Tikhanovsky, he was reminded of the style of someone back home he had voted for in 2019: Volodymyr Zelensky. 'I understand why they followed him,' Abrashim said. From Ukraine's Kharkiv, which has been pounded relentlessly by Belarus's ally Russia since it invaded, he was inspired by the messages of hope. 'Belarus and Ukraine should be free,' he said, clutching the letter.
Bloomberg
8 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Putin Says Russia to Seek Defense Cuts; How Much Depends on War
President Vladimir Putin said Russia plans to cut defense spending, acknowledging growing strains on the budget even as he insisted that reductions would depend on winning his war in Ukraine. Russia is spending 6.3% of gross domestic product on defense this year and 'that's a lot,' Putin told reporters in Minsk, Belarus, on Friday. 'It's one of the problems, including for the budget, that we have to resolve,' and Russia paid a price in inflation from the increased expenditure, he said.
CNN
12 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘They didn't break me': Belarusian opposition figure speaks out after time in prison
Sergey Tikhanovsky, a Belarusian dissident who was freed after five years in detention and the husband of exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, joins CNN's Jim Sciutto to discuss and share details about his time in prison.
CNN
12 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘They didn't break me': Belarusian opposition figure speaks out after time in prison
Sergey Tikhanovsky, a Belarusian dissident who was freed after five years in detention and the husband of exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, joins CNN's Jim Sciutto to discuss and share details about his time in prison.
Russia Today
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Putin respects US once again
US President Donald Trump has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has regained respect for America, whose international standing was damaged by the previous administration. Trump was responding to comments made by Putin during his visit to Belarus on Friday, where the Russian leader described the US president as a 'courageous man.' 'Vladimir Putin made some very nice statements today,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that such remarks would have been impossible under former President Joe Biden. 'He respects our country again. He didn't respect it a year ago, I can tell you that,' Trump said, claiming that Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also now respect the US since his return to the White House. 'We had a president that was incompetent. We had bad people circulating around this desk – this beautiful, resolute desk. They had, I guess, evil intentions,' Trump said. He has repeatedly described his predecessor's foreign policy as weak and damaging to America's global reputation, arguing that the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza would not have erupted under his leadership. Speaking to reporters in Minsk, Putin said he holds 'deep respect' for Trump and praised him for overcoming numerous challenges, including surviving an assassination attempt last year. He added that he believes Trump has been 'sincerely seeking' to help broker an end to the Ukraine conflict. Trump has revived direct contacts with Moscow, which were cut off during the Biden administration, and has held five phone calls with Putin since returning to office in January.
