YURAS KARMANAU

Belarus and CIS reporter

Karmanau is an Associated Press journalist covering Belarus and the CIS countries. He has worked in Belarus and Ukraine, as well as other countries in the region, for more than 20 years. He is part of the team that covers the Russia-Ukraine war.

Cancer-stricken Belarusian political prisoner is released after authoritarian president’s promise

A prominent Belarusian opposition politician who is suffering from a severe form of cancer has been released from prison, three years after his arrest in the authoritarian country’s crackdown on dissent.

Belarus’ authoritarian leader names new foreign minister and reshuffles other top officials

Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has reshuffled his top officials in what observers see as part of maneuvering ahead of the 2025 presidential election.

UN calls on Belarus to investigate torture and death of politicial prisoners

United Nations special representatives on human rights have called on Belarusian authorities to investigate the torture and deaths of political prisoners.

Event management firms are the latest target in Belarus crackdown on dissent

Police in Belarus have raided dozens of event management companies suspected of opposition ties as part of on ongoing crackdown against dissent.

Belarus starts proceedings in a trial in absentia of 20 prominent political analysts

Belarusian authorities have started proceedings in a trial in absentia of 20 prominent political analysts who work with the world’s biggest universities and think tanks, the latest step in the years-long crackdown on dissent in the country.

Hungary’s foreign minister visits Belarus despite EU sanctions, talks about expanding ties

Hungary’s top diplomat has visited Belarus for talks on expanding ties despite the European Union’s sanctions against the country.

UN human rights experts ask Belarusian authorities to help a political prisoner dying of cancer

U.N. human rights experts have appealed to Belarusian authorities to help a political prisoner who has been diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer.

Putin arrives in neighboring Belarus for a two-day visit with a key ally

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday evening arrived in Belarus for a two-day visit. The Russian leader’s trip to the neighboring and allied country is one of several he is taking as he begins his fifth term in office.

Belarus authorities unleash another wave of raids and property seizures targeting over 200 activists

Authorities in Belarus carried out raids and property seizures targeting more than 200 opposition activists, the latest step in the unrelenting government crackdown against dissent, coinciding with the opposition’s “day of solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners.”

Belarus targets opposition activists with raids and property seizures

Authorities in Belarus have announced raids and the seizure of property of 104 opposition activists who have fled the country.

Exiled Belarus opposition leader says she hasn’t heard from her imprisoned husband for over 400 days

Belarus’ exiled opposition leader says that she hasn’t heard from her imprisoned husband for 421 days.

Belarus labels German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle ‘extremist,’ bans activities in the country

The Belarusian service of German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle has been declared an “extremist” organization by Belarusian authorities and its activities are being banned in the country.

Hackers claim to have infiltrated Belarus’ main security service

A Belarusian hacker activist group claims to have infiltrated the network of the country’s main security agency and obtained access to personal files of over 8,600 staffers of the KGB, the security service that still goes under its Soviet name.

Belarus claims it prevented drone attacks from Lithuania. Vilnius rejects the allegations

The head of the top security agency in Belarus has claimed that the country has prevented attempted drone strikes from Lithuania that targeted the capital, Minsk, and surrounding areas.

The family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure hasn’t heard from her for over 400 days

Relatives of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova say it’s been 434 days since they heard from her.

Belarus’ parliament votes to leave Europe’s conventional forces treaty already abandoned by Russia

The Belarusian parliament has voted to suspend the country’s participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty that once was a key security doctrine for the continent.

A political prisoner in Belarus smuggles out account of beatings after writing on toilet paper

A political prisoner in Belarus has shed light on the country’s brutal prison system by smuggling out her story written on pieces of toilet paper.

Belarus convicts a famous dissident rock band and sentences its members to correctional labor

Belarus has convicted a famous dissident rock band, designating the band and its three members as extremist and sentencing them to two years of correctional labor.

Nobel laureate Bialiatski’s condition worsens after 1,000 days in Belarusian prison, his wife says

The wife of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski says she’s increasingly worried about his worsening condition as he marks his 1,000th day in prison.

Belarus arrests well-known activist on charges punishable by up to 4 years in prison, group says

A Belarusian human rights group says a well-known activist was arrested on charges punishable by up to four years in prison.

An imprisoned journalist in Belarus designated a political prisoner by a leading rights group

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

27 Nobel laureates demand the release of political prisoners in Belarus

In an open letter, 27 Nobel laureates have demanded the release of all political prisoners in Belarus including Ales Bialiatski, the winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

Belarusian authorities confirm raids against opposition activists over new ‘people’s embassies’

Belarusian authorities say they have launched dozens of raids to target those suspected of “extremist” activities in new efforts by the political opposition to create “people’s embassies” abroad.

A Catholic activist in Belarus is handed a 3-year sentence as a crackdown on dissent intensifies

A Catholic activist in Belarus has been handed a three-year prison sentence on charges that Western diplomats have denounced as politically driven, the latest move in the authorities’ sweeping crackdown on the country’s civil society.

Ukrainians living under Russian occupation are coerced to vote for Putin

Ukrainians living in regions illegally annexed by Russia are being coerced to vote in the presidential election of their wartime occupier, Vladimir Putin, an exercise denounced by Ukraine as an illegitimate effort by Moscow to tighten control over its neighbor.

Belarus authorities recently detained 12 lawyers who helped political prisoners, rights groups say

Rights groups in Belarus say that authorities there have detained at least 12 lawyers during mass raids late last month targeting people who have been helping those who have been imprisoned for political reasons.

A timeline of restrictive laws that authorities have used to crack down on dissent in Putin’s Russia

Russian authorities have adopted a slew of laws restricting fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech and assembly, as well as the rights of minorities and religious groups.

Thousands of Belarusians convicted on politically driven charges in sweeping crackdown on dissent

Thousands of Belarusians have been convicted on politically driven charges over the last three years as part of a relentless crackdown on dissent.

Belarusian lawmakers to soon consider anti-LGBTQ+ bill

A bill in Belarus that would outlaw the promotion of homosexuality and other behavior is set to land on lawmakers’ desks amid an unwavering crackdown on dissent initiated by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in August 2020.

UN experts call on authorities in Belarus to pardon a cancer-stricken imprisoned opposition leader

Experts from the U.N. Human Rights Commission have appealed to Belarusian authorities Monday to pardon an opposition politician diagnosed with a severe form of cancer while in prison.