3 human rights activists arrested in Belarus as a crackdown on the opposition persists

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Three activists of Viasna, the main human rights group in harshly repressive Belarus, have been arrested and charged with participating in an extremist organization. That’s according to state television on Thursday. The arrests were the latest in a long campaign by authorities to stifle opposition and independent media in the country, which has been under the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. A long-lasting wave of large protests arose after presidential elections in August 2020 whose disputed results gave Lukashenko a new term in office. Since then, authorities have cracked down severely on dissidents. All prominent opposition figures are now in prison or have taken exile abroad.