Belarus targets hundreds for showing solidarity with Ukraine

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko attending the Cop29 UN Climate Summit in Azerbaijan on Tuesday (Peter Dejong/AP)

Hundreds of people in Belarus who have shown solidarity with Ukraine have been arrested in a sweeping crackdown under authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key ally of Russia in the war, human rights activists said.

At least 1,671 Belarusians were detained for their anti-war stance or for expressing solidarity with Ukraine, and at least 200 of them have been given prison sentences ranging from one to 25 years on charges of “extremism” and “conspiracy against the state”, according to a report by the Viasna human rights centre.