A noted Belarusian film director and dissident who was held in Serbia for a year while Belarus sought his extradition has been released and gone to Germany.

More than a half-million Belarusians have fled their country since 2020 as the authoritarian government cracked down its critics.

Hard-line President Alexander Lukashenko has led Belarus for 30 years and intends to seek yet another term in office.

For three decades, European leaders have come and gone, but Alexander Lukashenko remains in absolute control of Belarus.

A prominent journalist in Belarus has been designated a political prisoner by the country’s leading human rights group.

Tightly controlled parliamentary and local elections in Belarus are set to cement the hard-line rule of the country’s authoritarian leader, despite a prominent opposition leader’s call for a boycott.

The family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova says it hasn't received a letter from her for a year.

Russia is accusing the West of sabotaging agreements that would have prevented the war in Ukraine – but the U.S. and its allies put the blame squarely on Moscow, saying there is no escaping that President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law into effect that significantly tightens control over various religious denominations and organizations.

The president of Belarus says Russia has completed its shipments of short-range, tactical nuclear weapons to his country, an initiative that has raised strong concerns in neighboring Poland and elsewhere in the region.

A former member of Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko’s special security forces is to face trial in Switzerland next month for the forced disappearances of political opponents in the late 1990s.

Authorities in Belarus have arrested a prominent journalist working with the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the latest step in a yearslong crackdown on opposition figures, independent journalists and human rights activists.

Russia and Belarus signed a deal formalizing the deployment of Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its ally, although control of the weapons remains in the Kremlin.

The wife of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski says he's been transferred to a notoriously brutal prison in Belarus and hasn’t been heard from in a month.

A prominent Polish minority activist has been released from custody in Belarus after the authorities dropped criminal charges against her.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on seven Belarusian elections officials, two state-owned automotive manufacturers and President Alexander Lukashenko’s aircraft.

Belarusian investigators are using a photo of an opposition politician shaking hands with former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as evidence in a criminal case tied to the mass protests after Belarus’ disputed 2020 presidential election.

A human rights group says an opposition politician who ran against authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been arrested in Minsk.

A sheriff says vandalism freed thousands of mink at a rural northwest Ohio farm, leaving an estimated 10,000 of the small carnivorous mammals unaccounted for as of Tuesday evening.

Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko is defending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in an interview with The Associated Press, but he said he didn’t expect the 10-week-old conflict to “drag on this way.”.

Officials in Poland and Bulgaria say Russia is suspending deliveries of natural gas to their countries starting Wednesday.

Belarus’ authoritarian president says he has no intention of sending troops to Syria to serve alongside Russian forces in the country but is holding the door open for a potential deployment of military medics there.

Belarus is planning to deploy up to 200 troops to Syria to serve alongside Russian forces in the country.

A Belarusian hacktivist group says it has launched a limited cyberattack on the national railway company, aimed at impeding the movement of Russian troops and freight inside the Moscow-allied country.

U.S. prosecutors have charged four Belarusian government officials with aircraft piracy for diverting a Ryanair flight last year to arrest an opposition journalist.

Belarus’ authoritarian leader has chafed at the European Union for its refusal to hold talks on the influx of migrants on the country’s border with Poland.

Officials say groups of migrants who were camped in the cold on the Poland-Belarus border have been moved to a nearby warehouse in Belarusian territory, with some of them still harboring hopes of entering the European Union.

Cybersecurity experts say they have evidence of direct involvement by Belarus' government in a hybrid hacking/disinformation campaign against Eastern European NATO members since 2016.

Polish police say the body of a young Syrian man has been found in the woods near the border with Belarus.

Thousands of people from Middle Eastern nations devastated by conflict have been trying to slip into the European Union since summer.

Turkey has halted airline ticket sales to Iraqi, Syrian and Yemeni citizens wanting to travel to Belarus, which in recent months has became a key step for migrants and refugees trying to illegally enter the European Union.

Thousands of migrants who came to Belarus from the Middle East and Africa are trying to enter the European Union through Poland.

Belarus has ordered a halt to routine medical care at state clinics in order to devote more resources to coronavirus patients.

Belarusian authorities have blocked access to another news site, the latest in a series of steps restricting independent media in the country after it was shaken by a wave of mass anti-government protests.

The authoritarian leader of Belarus has announced a referendum on a new constitution to be held in February 2022 and promised not to let the opposition come to power.

Belarus has ordered the closure of the country's largest independent journalists' organization.

Belarus says it has rescinded its permission for the U.S. ambassador's appointment and told the U.S. to cut its embassy staff in retaliation for Washington’s sanctions.

President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since taking power in 1994.

Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who feared for her safety at home after criticizing her coaches on social media, flew into Warsaw on Wednesday night on a humanitarian visa after leaving the Tokyo Olympics.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists has called on authorities in Belarus to transfer a jailed journalist to a civilian hospital so he could get treatment for coronavirus-induced pneumonia he has reportedly developed in detention.

Belarusian authorities have announced the closure of 15 nongovernmental organizations as part of the continuing crackdown on civil society activists and independent media.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Belarus' main opposition leader as the United States steps up criticism of the government in Minsk for a widening crackdown on dissent following disputed elections last year.

Authorities in Belarus have raided the offices of an independent newspaper and detained three of its journalists as part of a relentless crackdown on media outlets and civil society activists.

Authorities in Belarus raided the homes and offices of independent media outlets and civil society activists, widening a crackdown on opposition in the ex-Soviet nation.

Scores of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have crossed the border into Lithuania from Belarus in recent weeks.

Belarusian authorities have blocked the website of a leading online media outlet and detained some of its journalists and several reporters from other news organizations, the latest moves in a sweeping crackdown on dissent and independent media in the ex-Soviet nation.

Belarus has retaliated to the European Union sanctions by halting cooperation on stemming illegal migration and denying entry to EU officials.

A closed trial for the husband of Belarus' opposition leader has begun at a jail in the city of Gomel.

The European Union has slapped economic sanctions on Belarus in response to what the EU called the “escalation of serious human rights violations” including the detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich.

Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has warned that his country will not try to stem a flow of migrants to the European Union in response to new EU sanctions.

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says President Alexander Lukashenko may have miscalculated last month by diverting a Ryanair passenger jet to Minsk, where a dissident journalist aboard was arrested.

The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada have joined forces to impose sanctions on several officials in Belarus over the forced diversion of a Ryanair flight to Minsk last month.

The chief of budget airline Ryanair says the pilot of a flight that was diverted to Belarus last month had no alternative but to land the plane in Minsk.

The authoritarian president of Belarus has signed a law that allows prison sentences of up to three years for participating in an unsanctioned demonstration.

NATO is restricting access to its headquarters for a group of Belarus officials in the wake of Minsk’s decision to divert a Ryanair passenger plane to arrest a dissident journalist.

Thousands of Belarusians who have fled the former Soviet nation amid a brutal crackdown on dissent are shocked by the forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest an opposition journalist.

Belarus’ isolation is deepening as commercial planes avoid its airspace and the European Union works up new sanctions.

The authoritarian president of Belarus has signed a law sharply restricting news media activities and allowing them to be shut down without a court hearing.

European Union leaders have agreed on a set of sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc.

A prominent opponent of Belarus’ authoritarian president has been arrested after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat.

Belarus’ authoritarian leader has bristled at a criminal complaint filed against him in Germany over his violent crackdown on protests that broke out after his disputed re-election in August.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting his Belarusian counterpart for talks on closer integration between the two ex-Soviet neighbors.

Russia's main security agency says it arrested two Belarusians who it claims were preparing a plot to overthrow Belarus' government and kill authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.

FILE - In this Saturday, March 20, 2021 file photo, Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, right, poses for photos with demonstrators during a protest demanding freedom for political prisoners in Belarus at the Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania. Belarus authorities on Monday March 29, 2021, announced a criminal probe against Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the nation's top opposition figure, on charges of terrorism, a move that follows a sweeping police crackdown on protesters demanding the resignation of the country's authoritarian leader. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)KYIV – Belarus authorities on Monday announced a criminal probe against the nation's top opposition figure on charges of terrorism, a move that follows a sweeping police crackdown on protesters demanding the resignation of the country's authoritarian leader. Belarus' Prosecutor General Andrei Shved said his office has launched a criminal investigation against Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the top opposition candidate who challenged President Alexander Lukashenko in a presidential vote in August. Earlier this month, Lithuania dismissed Belarus's demand to extradite Tsikhanouskaya, with the Baltic nation’s foreign minister saying that “hell will freeze over first.”

Police officers detain a demonstrator as they prevent an opposition action to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, March 27, 2021. (AP Photo)KYIV – Police in the capital of Belarus arrested more than 100 people who assembled for a protest march Saturday to call for the resignation of the country's authoritarian president. Some journalists arrested while covering last year’s protests were sentenced to two years in prison. Protests broke out in August after a disputed election that gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office. More than 33,000 people were arrested during the protests, and many of them were beaten by police.

People carry a giant historical flag of Belarus during a celebration 103rd anniversary of the declaration of the Belarusian People's Respublic, in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, March 25, 2021. Freedom Day is an unofficial holiday in Belarus celebrated on 25 March to commemorate the declaration of independence by the Belarusian Democratic Republic on that date in 1918. The Thursday protest marked the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the Belarus People's Republic, an independent state that lasted only a few months before the Red Army moved in. The opposition traditionally observes the anniversary as the country's unofficial Freedom Day. The arrests came a day after their leader, Andżelika Borys, was sentenced to 15 days in jail for holding unauthorized mass events.

Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich, seen in cage, attend a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, March 2, 2021. On Tuesday, the Moskovsky District Court in Minsk sentenced Barysevich to six months in prison and a fine equivalent to $1,100. (Sergei Sheleg/BelTA Pool Photo via AP)KYIV – A court in Belarus on Tuesday handed a half-year prison sentence to a journalist on charges of revealing personal data in her report on the death of a protester, part of authorities’ crackdown on demonstrations against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. On Tuesday, the Moskovsky District Court in Minsk sentenced Barysevich to six months in prison and a fine equivalent to $1,100. Last month, two other journalists in Belarus were convicted of violating public order and sentenced to two years in prison after they covered an opposition protest.

Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich smiles as she attends a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. Barysevich is accused of revealing personal data in her report on the death of a protester, part of the Belarusian authorities to stifle independent media reports about protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The opposition alleged that he was brutally beaten by police who dispersed a protest in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. AdThe Moskovsky District Court in Minsk closed the trial for the public despite Barysevich's call to make it open. “I want this trial to be open,” Barysevich said in a statement before the hearings.

Journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva, right, and Daria Chultsova stand inside a defendants' cage in a court room in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. A court in Belarus on Thursday sent two female journalists to prison for years on charges of violating public order after they covered a protest against the nation's authoritarian president. The court in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Thursday handed two-year sentences to Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Daria Chultsova of the Belsat TV channel. (AP Photo)KYIV – Two journalists in Belarus were convicted Thursday of violating public order and sentenced to two years in prison after they covered a protest against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The two were charged with “organizing actions rudely violating public order” — accusations they denied.

Viktor Babariko, the former head of Russia-owned Belgazprombank, gestures a heart symbol sitting in a cage in a court room in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Viktor Babariko, the former head of Russia-owned Belgazprombank, has been jailed since June on corruption and money-laundering charges. The 57-year-old Babariko could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted at the trial in the Supreme Court of Belarus, the country's highest. The president sought to cast Babariko's election bid as part of efforts by Belarus' main sponsor, Russia, to exert pressure on his government and try to weaken the country's independence. “That was deadly dangerous for Lukashenko.”But facing Western sanctions over the vote-rigging and the crackdown on protests, Lukashenko has come to rely increasingly on Moscow's subsidies and political support.

Authorities in Belarus have raided the homes and offices of journalists and human rights activists. (AP Photo)KYIV – Authorities in Belarus raided homes and offices of journalists and human rights activists Tuesday in the latest move to squelch protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. Europe's top human rights envoy denounced the searches and detentions in Belarus as unacceptable. “This is an attempt to intimidate journalists and human rights activists who have been telling the world about the unbelievable scale of repressions,” said Viasna's deputy head Valiantsin Stefanovic. Tsikhanouskaya denounced the raids and detentions of journalists and rights activists, saying “the regime is unleashing repressions against those who are championing human rights.”The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demanded that Belarusian authorities stop the persecution of journalists.

The World Health Organization and the European Union announced Thursday Feb. 11, 2021, the launch of a 40-million euro (dollars 48.5 million) program to help deploy COVID-19 vaccines in six former Soviet republics including Belarus. The program will involve Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, and complements the work of an existing EU program and the WHO-backed COVAX Facility that aims to deploy vaccines for people in all countries in need whether rich or poor, Dr. Hans Kluge said. But only if we ensure that all countries, irrespective of income level, have access to them,” Kluge told reporters from WHO Europe headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the region, some 7.8 million people have completed immunizations against the coronavirus, Kluge said. He added that the number of vaccine doses administered has outstripped the number of reported COVID-19 cases, with some 41 million doses given compared to the 36 million cases reported in the region during the pandemic.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko delivers his speech to delegates of the All-Belarus People's Assembly in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Belarus authoritarian leader has denounced six months of protests against his rule as a foreign-directed rebellion and vowed to resist the pressure, as he spoke at the All-Belarus Peoples Assembly. Lukashenko didn’t elaborate, but in the past several months, he has repeatedly accused the West of fomenting the protests. On Thursday, he said the West had incited the protests in Belarus as a “bridgehead” against Russia. Ad“It's deadly dangerous for Russia to lose Belarus,” Lukashenko said, adding that the two countries planned massive joint military drills later this year.

But opposition forces are preparing to turn up the heat in the spring and observers say Lukashenko doesn't have a clear strategy to overcome new unrest. But harsh actions by security forces have only temporarily muted the protests, Shraibman said. ___LUKASHENKO PLAYS FOR TIMEA $1.5 billion loan from the Kremlin and a promise to send in Russian security forces if Lukashenko requests them helped Lukashenko maintain control over the security forces and officials. During the period of mass protests, Lukashenko talked about “the decline of the presidential life” and possible resignation, but then he stopped such statements. The opposition aims to resume its mass actions on March 25, the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of a short-lived independent Belarus.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, speaks with International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel during their meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. (Nikolai Petrov/BelTA Pool Photo via AP)ZURICH – The hockey world championships were pulled from Belarus on Monday following pressure from opposition groups and a threatened boycott by sponsors. The IIHF said its council “determined that it is currently impossible to ensure the welfare of teams, spectators and officials” in Belarus. IIHF president Rene Fasel had tried to keep the men's tournament in Belarus, claiming it could build bridges between the opposition and Lukashenko. Denmark, the host in 2018, and Slovakia, the host in 2019, have both offered to step in.

FILE - In this Dec. 24, 2020 file photo, Belarus Roman Catholic Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz leads a Christmas midnight mass at the Church of Saints Simon and Helena during in Minsk, Belarus. Pope Francis on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, accepted the resignation of Minsk archbishop who had been blocked for months by Belarusian authorities from returning to his homeland after criticizing crackdowns on anti-government protests there. (AP Photo)VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Sunday accepted the resignation of Minsk’ archbishop who had been blocked for months by Belarusian authorities from returning to his homeland after criticizing a crackdown on anti-government protesters there. That was nearly four months after he was blocked entry while traveling back from a religious visit to Poland. Weeks of massive protests had seen Belarus citizens flood into the streets in daily protests demand Lukashenko’s resignation.

He accused the government of allowing the virus to run wild among those jailed for political reasons. Liava was detained while he was covering a protest in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, for the independent Belsat TV channel. The day after he left prison, Liava said, he tested positive for COVID-19, and a CT scan showed that his lungs were badly affected. He said he and four of his colleagues who were arrested all contracted the virus in custody. “We must cry out loud about an outbreak of COVID-19 in jails overcrowded with political prisoners.”___Follow AP’s virus pandemic coverage at:https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemichttps://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccinehttps://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Belarus Roman Catholic Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz leads a Christmas midnight mass at the Church of Saints Simon and Helena during in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. Belarusian authorities have allowed Roman Catholic priest Kondrusiewicz to return to the country after denying him entry for months. Kondrusiewicz was barred from entering the ex-Soviet nation for nearly four months after his criticism of the Belarusian authorities' crackdown on protests. (AP Photo)MOSCOW – Belarusian authorities have allowed a Roman Catholic priest to return to the country after denying him entry for months. Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Minsk and Mohilev arrived in Belarus on Thursday.

Opposition activist Nina Baginskaya, 73, center, struggles with police during a Belarusian opposition supporters rally at Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. Police in Belarus have dispersed protesters who gathered on the capital's central square, detaining dozens. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)BRUSSELS – The European Union on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on Belarus, targeting dozens more officials over their role in the security crackdown launched after the contested presidential elections in August. Last month, the EU added Lukashenko and his son Viktor, who is Belarus' national security adviser, to the sanctions list. Thursday’s move means that the EU has now imposed sanctions on a total of 88 people and seven “entities,” usually organizations, companies or banks.

Protests in Belarus have continued for almost four months after President Alexander Lukashenko won his sixth term in office in an election the opposition says was rigged. Demonstrators carrying red-and-white flags, the symbol of the protest, gathered in groups and marched down residential areas of the city, demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Over 200 people have been detained during protests, according to the Viasna human rights center. Videos of the rallies posted on social media showed security forces chasing and detaining protesters in courtyards in residential areas. Four people are reported to have died as the result of the government's crackdown on demonstrators and opposition supporters.

Protests in Belarus have continued for almost four months after President Alexander Lukashenko won his sixth term in office in an election the opposition says was rigged. Police in Minsk said they detained more than 300 people. The Viasna human rights group released the names of 215 people detained in Minsk and other cities, where rallies also took place. At least four journalists have been detained in Minsk and the western city of Grodno, according the Belarusian Association of Journalists. On Friday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement that the situation with human rights in Belarus is getting worse.

Riot police block Belarusian pensioners wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (AP Photo)GENEVA – The United Nations' human rights chief lamented a deteriorating situation in Belarus and said Friday that reported beatings of protesters by security forces may in some cases amount to torture. Police have cracked down hard on the largely peaceful demonstrations, using stun grenades, tear gas and truncheons to disperse protesters. Thousands of people have been detained and many of them badly beaten since the protests began, human rights advocates say. Opposition leaders in Belarus have sought discussions with the government about a transfer of power or a new election, which Lukashenko has rejected.

KYIV – A human rights group in Belarus says over 300 people have been detained during Sunday protests against the country’s authoritarian president, who won his sixth term in office in a vote widely seen as rigged. The protests took place in Minsk, the capital, and other cities and attracted thousands of people. Nearly 250 demonstrators were detained in Minsk alone, police said. More than 300 people have been detained all across the country, according to the group. “I will support everyone who takes part in the Neighbors' March this Sunday,” Tsikhanouskaya said in a video statement.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, centre, listens to medics as he visits a transfusiology center in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (Maxim Guchek/BelTA Pool Photo via AP)KYIV – The president of Belarus said Friday that he would not remain in the post he has held for more than 26 years if his country adopts a new constitution. However, President Alexander Lukashenko did not describe the amendments he is seeking or give a timeline for when a new constitution might be adopted. “I will not work with you as president under the new constitution,” Lukashenko said in comments released by his press service. The remarks came a day after Lukashenko met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who expressed support for a new Belarusian Constitution.

The Belarusian human rights group Viasna says more than 140 people have been arrested and many of them beaten by police during protests calling for the country's authoritarian president to resign. The demonstrations that attracted thousands were the 16th consecutive Sunday of large protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. (AP Photo)KYIV – The Belarusian human rights group Viasna says that more than 300 people were arrested and many of them beaten by police during protests calling for the country’s authoritarian president to resign. The demonstrations that attracted thousands were the 16th consecutive Sunday of large protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. Throughout the protest wave, more than 19,000 people have been detained and thousands of them beaten, human rights advocates say.

“Lukashenko, you and my children will remember this disgrace,” said one of the banners the retirees carried. Such protests have roiled Belarus ever since the Aug. 9 election handed Lukashenko a crushing victory over his widely popular opponent Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. According to human rights advocates, over 19,000 people have been detained since the election. The Interior Ministry said over 700 people were detained Sunday across the country, while the Viasna human rights center put the figure at 1,291. Support media (and) human rights defenders.

A Belarusian human rights group says more than 500 people have been arrested in protests around the country calling for authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to step down. The Sunday demonstrations continued to wave of near-daily protests that have gripped Belarus since early August. (AP Photo)KYIV – A human rights group in Belarus said more than 900 people were arrested Sunday in protests around the country calling for authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to step down. The demonstrations continued the wave of near-daily protests that have gripped Belarus since early August. The Viasna human rights organization reported detentions at demonstrations in other cities, including Vitebsk and Gomel.

People gather to honor 31-year-old Raman Bandarenka, who died Thursday at a Minsk hospital after several hours of surgery due to serious injuries in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Opposition leaders and some poll workers say the results were manipulated, and protesters have been calling for Lukashenko's resignation. More than 17,000 people have been detained — thousands of them brutally beaten — since the Aug. 9 presidential election in Belarus, human rights advocates have reported. Belarusian authorities have confirmed that Bandarenka was brought to the hospital from a police department in Minsk but denied responsibility for his death. Bandarenka's death elicited outrage both in Belarus and abroad.

Police detain a man during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. Human rights activists said nearly 400 people were arrested. (AP Photo)KYIV – Club-swinging police went after demonstrators in Belarus' capital who were demanding the resignation of the country’s authoritarian president on Sunday, the 90th consecutive day of protests. The human rights organization Viasna said at least 389 people were arrested in all, including well-known model Olga Khizhinkova, a former Miss Belarus. The wave of protests, unprecedented in their size and duration, began after the Aug. 9 election that official results say gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office.

In this photo taken Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, with his sons, from right, Viktor, Dmitry and Nikolai, walk after a church service in Minsk, Belarus. EU headquarters said in a statement that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was put on the sanctions list along his son and national security adviser, Viktor Lukashenko. EU headquarters said in a statement that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was put on the sanctions list along his son and national security adviser, Viktor Lukashenko. Protests have rocked Belarus ever since the Aug. 9 election, and more than 15,000 people in the country have been arrested. The official results returned Lukashenko to power with 80% of the vote and were widely seen as rigged, including by the EU.

Police detain a demonstrator during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. Police used stun grenades and fired warning shots in the air to break up the crowds. Over 15,000 people have been detained since the election, and rights activists say over 100 of them are political prisoners. French ambassador Francois Rivasseau said France remained “extremely concerned” by the rights situation in Belarus, calling on its government to release all people held arbitrarily. Belarus ambassador Yury Ambrazevich said there was a “complex situation” in his country after the presidential elections, and said officials in Belarus had already discussed them.

People help a woman after she collided with a police during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. at Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who won his sixth term in an Aug. 9 election that is widely seen as rigged. Police detained over 250 people in Minsk and other Belarusian cities where protests were held Sunday, according to the Viasna center. They said the move was intended to stem the spread of the coronavirus, although officials previously accused neighboring countries of trying to destabilize Belarus. Foreigners, however, are allowed to travel into Belarus via the Minsk National Airport.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has relied on massive arrests and intimidation tactics to hold on to power despite nearly three months of protests sparked by his re-election to a sixth term, but continuing protests have cast an unprecedented challenge to his 26-year rule. By putting forward an ultimatum to Lukashenko to resign by Oct. 25 or face the strike, Tsikhanouskaya has managed to mobilize and re-invigorate her supporters after nearly three months of protests. About 200,000 demonstrators flooded the Belarusian capital last Sunday, one of the biggest rallies since the protests began. The Kremlin has backed Lukashenko amid Western pressure and provided a $1.5-billion loan to help refinance Belarus' debt to Russia. “Lukashenko has failed to quash the protests in nearly three months, and that shows the scale of discontent in the country and pushes the Kremlin to search for new scenarios and partners in Belarus,” Karbalevich said.

People, most of them pensioners, wave bunches of flowers during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. Students in some universities refused to attend lectures and marched in Minsk in protest. Several thousand retirees also marched in Minsk in their regular Monday protest to demand Lukashenko's ouster. The Viasna human rights center said more than 300 people were detained in different parts of Belarus throughout the day. Smaller protests also took place in other cities, and the Interior Ministry said it detained over 500 people across Belarus.

People with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. Rallies also took place in other cities in Belarus, and police detained scores of people across the country. In a statement from Vilnius, Tsikhanouskaya expressed support for the protesters in Belarus and said the deadline for authorities expires at 11:59 p.m. (2059 GMT) on Sunday. “If the demands are not met, Belarusians will start the national strike,” Tsikhanouskaya said. Tsikhanouskaya's calls for a strike fueled the protest and turned up the pressure on Lukashenko, commentators said.

People, most of them elderly women, walk during an opposition rally in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The elderly rallied in Minsk once again on Monday to demand resignation of the country's President Alexander Lukashenko, as mass protests triggered by a disputed election continue to rock Belarus. (AP Photo)KYIV – About 3,000 retirees rallied in the Belarusian capital of Minsk for a third straight Monday to demand the resignation of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko as mass protests of a disputed election continue to roil the country. “How many grandmas should it take to oust one grandpa?” said one banner held by the protesters, referring to the 66-year-old president. Local media reported that some had been bused to the rally in what appeared to be an organized effort.

People with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Tens of thousands rallied in Minsk once again on Sunday, demanding the resignation of the country's authoritarian leader. (AP Photo)KYIV – Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Belarus' capital on Sunday, demanding the ouster of the country's authoritarian leader who won his sixth term in office in an election widely seen as rigged. More than 50,000 people took part in the rally in Minsk, according to the Viasna human rights center. “If our demands aren’t fulfilled by Oct. 25, the entire country will peacefully take to the streets,” Tsikhanouskaya said in a statement.

Officials on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, confirmed its first U.S. cases of mink infected with the coronavirus following outbreaks in Europe. Five infected mink have been identified at two farms in Utah, the Department of Agriculture announced. Over the weekend, a handful of protesters were removed outside two mink farms, he added. The coronavirus pandemic could “threaten the entire profession,” said Tage Pedersen, chairman of Danish Fur Breeders Association. In Poland, another large mink fur exporter, the ruling right-wing coalition and the opposition are deeply divided over a new law that would ban fur farms.

Elderly women hold flowers during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. In the first days of the protests, Belarusian authorities cracked down brutally on protesters, with police detaining thousands and beating scores. Over 40 journalists were detained over the weekend, 25 of them in Minsk, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said. Fifteen Belarusian journalists in Minsk face up to 15 days of administrative arrest for disobeying police officers. EU officials on Monday said they saw no improvement in Belarus and were ready to impose further sanctions on top Belarus officials, including Lukashenko.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko delivers a speech during his inauguration ceremony at the Palace of the Independence in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. Lukashenko of Belarus has assumed his sixth term of office in an inauguration ceremony that wasn't announced in advance. President Alexander Lukashenko spent more than four hours talking to his jailed political foes at the Minsk prison that belongs to Belarus' State Security Committee, which still goes under its Soviet-era name, KGB. “With this meeting, Lukashenko recognized the existence of political prisoners whom he previously dismissed as criminals,” she said in a statement. During the meeting in prison, Lukashenko emphasized that “the constitution can't be written in the streets,” his office said without offering other details of the meeting.