https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:30:36 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Belarus has cancelled the passport of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski and other recently deported political prisoners, in what rights groups say is a new form of pressure on exiled dissidents. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-nobel-byalyatski-bialiatski-human-rights-exile-lukashenko/33724092.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-nobel-byalyatski-bialiatski-human-rights-exile-lukashenko/33724092.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:51:51 +0200 BelarusNewsRussiaThe Rundown Stories The United States has lifted sanctions on several Belarusian entities and the country's Finance Ministry as Minsk announced the release of scores of prisoners -- including political detainees Kim Samusenko and journalist Katsyaryna Andreyeva. https://www.rferl.org/a/washington-sanctions-minsk-belarus-prisoners-release/33710939.html https://www.rferl.org/a/washington-sanctions-minsk-belarus-prisoners-release/33710939.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:16:00 +0100 NewsBelarusThe Rundown Stories Possible prisoner releases in Belarus before a visit by a senior U.S. envoy may hint at modest progress in talks with Alexander Lukashenko, but a real end to repression will require sustained international pressure, says Nobel Laureate Ales Byalyatski. https://www.rferl.org/a/nobel-laureate-byalyatski-interview-pressure-lukashenko-political-prisoners/33708776.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nobel-laureate-byalyatski-interview-pressure-lukashenko-political-prisoners/33708776.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:29:24 +0100 BelarusFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Belarusian former presidential candidate Mikalay Statkevich, who has been imprisoned for over ten years, was released to his home in Minsk after having a stroke in jail, according to his family. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-statkevich-prison-release/33682690.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-statkevich-prison-release/33682690.html Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:44:35 +0100 BelarusNewsThe Rundown Stories A fresh satellite image obtained by RFE/RL shows that the development of a military installation is proceeding apace at a former Soviet airfield in Belarus. The image shows what may be vehicles from a nuclear-capable, hypersonic Russian missile system called Oreshnik. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-russian-missile-deployment-satellite-imagery/33675391.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-russian-missile-deployment-satellite-imagery/33675391.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 20:29:51 +0100 BelarusFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The Belarusian state has freed hundreds of people considered political prisoners in a bid to improve ties with the West. Among those still behind bars are some 200 convicted of fighting on Ukraine’s side, planning to do so, or otherwise supporting Kyiv’s defense against the Russian invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-war-ukraine-russia-prison-punishment/33631246.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-war-ukraine-russia-prison-punishment/33631246.html Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:32:22 +0100 BelarusFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline German police are investigating allegations of beatings and abuse at a Belarusian prison, after a former guard appeared to have settled in a provincial German town. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-prison-guard-investigation-german-police/33625705.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-prison-guard-investigation-german-police/33625705.html Wed, 17 Dec 2025 17:36:12 +0100 BelarusFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Prominent Belarus human rights defender Ales Byalyatski knew it was coming. His activist colleagues were being harassed and arrested. He just didn't know when. In an interview with RFE/RL days after his release, the Nobel laureate recounted his ordeal in a Belarusian prison. https://www.rferl.org/a/ales-byalyatski-prison-release-belarus-interview-nobel-prize/33624759.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ales-byalyatski-prison-release-belarus-interview-nobel-prize/33624759.html Tue, 16 Dec 2025 19:06:11 +0100 BelarusFeaturesCrisis In BelarusThe Rundown Headline A day after being released in a US-brokered deal with Minsk, several Belarusian political prisoners who spent more than four years behind bars said they had no regrets for standing up to authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-political-prisoners-kalesnikava-babaryka/33623403.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-political-prisoners-kalesnikava-babaryka/33623403.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:10:01 +0100 NewsBelarusThe Rundown Stories Dozens of Belarusians imprisoned for their political activity were freed on December 13 as US officials announced plans to ease economic sanctions on Minsk. They were welcomed by officials and rights advocates in Lithuania and Ukraine. The freed prisoners included Ales Byalyatski, a human rights defender and Nobel laureate, and Maryya Kalesnikava, a prominent opposition leader. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-releases-political-prisoners-lithuania/33622436.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-releases-political-prisoners-lithuania/33622436.html Sat, 13 Dec 2025 22:09:20 +0100 BelarusVideo ArchiveVideos Prisoner release, which included many high-profile figures, comes after Washington indicated it was lifting sanctions on fertilizer exports against the authoritarian government of Belarus, a major Russian ally. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-prisoners-freed-us-trump/33622355.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-prisoners-freed-us-trump/33622355.html Sat, 13 Dec 2025 15:40:18 +0100 NewsBelarusThe Rundown Headline RFE/RL's Belarus Service spoke to women who had been imprisoned at the country's notorious Homel penal colony on politically motivated charges. Now free and living in exile, the former prisoners shared stories of enduring slave labor, rotten food, and psychological pressure. Rights groups estimate that more than 1,100 political prisoners remain behind bars in the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-female-political-prisoners-human-rights/33598488.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-female-political-prisoners-human-rights/33598488.html Fri, 28 Nov 2025 10:24:00 +0100 BelarusVideo ArchiveVideos Female ex-political prisoners from a Belarusian penal colony describe freezing cells, rotten food, psychological abuse, and forced labor. Now in exile, they recount conditions meant to break them, as over 150 women remain jailed on charges rights groups say are used to silence dissent in Belarus. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-women-political-prisoners-homel/33605418.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-women-political-prisoners-homel/33605418.html Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:09:02 +0100 BelarusFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Belarusian authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko has pardoned and released 31 Ukrainian citizens who had been held in Belarus, a move Minsk said was part of an agreement reached with US President Donald Trump. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-ukraine-prisoner-partdon-release-lukashenko/33599112.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-ukraine-prisoner-partdon-release-lukashenko/33599112.html Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:00:45 +0100 NewsBelarusUkraineThe Rundown Stories Lithuania’s Prime Minister has said it’s “a hybrid attack” – hundreds of weather balloons flying across the border from Belarus, causing airport chaos. But the incidents also point to a long-standing, large-scale smuggling network that allegedly has high-level links in Minsk. https://www.rferl.org/a/balloons-belarus-smuggling-hybrid-attack-lithuania-cigarettes/33586992.html https://www.rferl.org/a/balloons-belarus-smuggling-hybrid-attack-lithuania-cigarettes/33586992.html Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:38:25 +0100 BelarusFeaturesThe Rundown Stories A nearly finished hillside complex in the southern Russian ski resort town of Krasnaya Polyana is backed by investors linked to Belarus’s strongman leader, a new investigation found. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-russia-lukashenko-ski-resort-development-insiders/33573145.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-russia-lukashenko-ski-resort-development-insiders/33573145.html Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:57:38 +0100 BelarusFeaturesRussia Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been told she must vacate secure housing in Vilnius amid a downgrade to her security detail by the Lithuanian authorities, according to a note one of her aides sent to Western embassies. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-opposition-leader-tsikhanouskaya-security-lithuania/33555677.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-opposition-leader-tsikhanouskaya-security-lithuania/33555677.html Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:22:02 +0200 FeaturesBelarusThe Rundown Stories Poland has reopened its border with Belarus after a nearly two-week closure tied to the Russia–Belarus “Zapad-2025” military exercises, with Beijing playing a quiet but important role in the decision. https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-belarus-border-reopening-china-trade-routes/33540943.html https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-belarus-border-reopening-china-trade-routes/33540943.html Thu, 25 Sep 2025 17:50:24 +0200 NewsBelarusThe Rundown Stories Belarus has made headlines in recent weeks with a flurry of US-negotiated releases of political prisoners. But while Minsk basks in its warming relations with Washington, dark questions have been raised by accounts of torture and mistreatment -- and the prompt re-arrest of a veteran dissident. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarusian-political-prisoners-torture-repression-dubsky-tattoo/33533889.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarusian-political-prisoners-torture-repression-dubsky-tattoo/33533889.html Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:15 +0200 BelarusFeaturesThe Rundown Stories A total of 52 people were freed and ordered to leave Belarus on September 11, shortly after a top US envoy met personally with longtime strongman leader Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-prisoners-release-lukashenko/33528798.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-prisoners-release-lukashenko/33528798.html Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:44:20 +0200 NewsBelarusCrisis In BelarusThe Rundown Headline