KGB conducts raids
Belarus takes members of the opposition into custody
January 24, 2024, 1:18 p.m
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There are said to be more than 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus. The KGB now searches the homes of 84 relatives and arrests several of them. They are said to have founded an extremist organization.
Authorities in the authoritarian ex-Soviet republic of Belarus have searched the homes of relatives of political prisoners and arrested several people. By Tuesday evening, the KGB secret service had visited at least 84 people, wrote the independent Belarusian internet portal Zerkalo, which is operated from exile. “Among those arrested is Marina Adamowitsch, the wife of the politician Nikolai Statkevich, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison,” said ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile.
The world must react to these excesses, she demanded on the social network Apparently the KGB is interested in the content of closed chats in which the relatives of political prisoners discuss general questions.
According to civil rights activists, the KGB told some of those arrested that the crackdown was related to their involvement in the INeedHelpBY project. This supports Belarusians affected by political repression with food. The ruler in Belarus is Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994. When he wanted to be re-elected as president for the sixth time in 2020, the opposition was convinced that challenger Tichanowskaja won.
Despite the lack of international recognition, Lukashenko was declared the winner and the subsequent protests were brutally suppressed. According to estimates by the civil rights organization Vyasna, there are more than 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus. Many opposition members have fled into exile.