Raman Pratasevich, journalist kidnapped from hijacked Ryanair plane - coerced to do an interview on Belarus state television (ONT TV Channel/Reuters) Top Stories Jun 4: Detained Belarus dissident breaks down in state TV interview, renewing fears of coercion and torture Footage of kidnapped journalist Raman Pratasevich that aired on Belarusian state television has raised concerns that he was being coerced to take part in political propaganda under duress. Opposition leader in exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya suggested that Pratasevich was beaten and tortured in prison to issue his statements, as well as apparent bruises and wounds on the wrists of the journalist can be seen during the interview.

Forbidden tree - Artist: Lilia Kvatsabay Top Stories May 25: Belarus is on the agenda of President Biden’s meeting with Putin in Switzerland Belarus will be discussed during the upcoming US/Russia summit in Switzerland. President Joe Biden is expected to discuss the situation in Belarus, given that Russian allies in Belarus grounded an international Ryanair flight to arrest a journalist on board. Many hope that Biden will confront Putin for his role in enabling the Lukashenka regime, as the crackdown on dissidents intensifies there.

This week: Belarus regime is hijacking planes, cracking down on journalists, allowing police to use firearms on demonstrators & more Top Stories May 23: Ryanair flight carrying wanted Belarusian journalist forced to land in Minsk To arrest Raman Pratasevich, an exiled opposition journalist, Belarusian security forces hijacked an Irish airliner registered in Poland and flying from Greece to Lithuania. Right before Ryanair flight FR4978 could cross into Lithuanian airspace, Belarusian authorities used a combination of a fake bomb threat, instructions from Minsk air traffic control, and a military MiG-29 fighter jet to force the plane to land in Minsk.

Belarus Freedom Forum, on behalf of Belarusian-American communities, calls on President Biden, Vice President Harris, the US Congress, and the State Department to initiate an immediate international investigation, demand Belarusian cooperation with the international community, and set consequences for the actions of the Belarusian regime concerning the incident with Ryanair flight FR4978 from Athens to Vilnius on May 23, 2021. The actions of the Belarusian authorities – including a manufactured bomb threat, illicit instructions from Minsk ATC, and intimidation by a military fighter jet – that has led to the diversion and forced landing of FR4978 in Minsk in violation of international laws and the Chicago convention on international civil aviation, with the political goal of arresting an opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich, have jeopardized the lives of the passengers and crew and set a dangerous precedent that undermines the safety of journalists, dissidents, and political refugees all over the world.

Long Live Belarus - Artist: Lilia Kvatsabaya Top Story The Human Rights Center Viasna reports that 17 years old Mikita Zalatarou, suffering from epilepsy, has been kept in solitary confinement in Belarusian prison. May 15, Mikita was “rearrested” and accused of an alleged “assault” of a prison employee. Mikita told his parents that he “won’t last in an isolation cell much longer.” In February 2021, the Belarusian authorities sentenced Mikita to 5 years in a correctional colony.

Video made with support of Peace, Justice, and Human Rights Initiative of Florida Atlantic University Belarus and US May 3: US envoy Julie Fisher interview about Lukashenka and on state of Journalism The US Ambassador to Belarus, Julie Fisher, gave an extended interview to the news agency Belsat. She explained why she does not reside in Minsk and discussed the official status of Lukashenka, the possibility of Tsikhanouskaya visit to the United States, and the potential danger of Russian occupation of Belarus.

Belarus today is in a state of a near-total collapse of the rule of law. Every Belarusian-American has a friend, relative, or former neighbor who has been imprisoned, fired from their jobs, or harassed by security forces. Regardless of their age, family, or health status, people are unlawfully detained, tortured, kept in inhumane conditions, tried, sentenced, and left without necessities in overcrowded prisons. The Belarusian people are deprived of essential freedoms by way of force and violence. We urge the commission to develop a comprehensive foreign policy to end repressions, release political prisoners, and establish a pathway for a peaceful transition of power in Belarus.

Top Stories Women march on the outskirts of Minsk in memory of Chernobyl Several dozen women, dressed in black and carrying black umbrellas and yellow and black ribbons, staged a demonstration in memory of the Chernobyl disaster in the Malinauka district on the outskirts of Minsk, where many of the families evacuated from the disaster area were settled. Later in the day, military and police forces flooded Minsk downtown and arrested about 20 people.

Top Story Lukashenko to amend emergency transfer of presidential power The Belarusian dictator is changing the procedure of the power transfer in case the president is unable to perform their duties. Under current law, the presidential power transfers to the prime minister. By the new decree, Lukashenka promised to sign the presidential powers would be transferred to the Security Council. The new head of the Security Council is Aliaksandr Valfovich, a military general.

Future - Artist: Lilia Kvatsabaya Top Story Belarusian KGB detains leader of opposition party, Political analyst U.S.-Belarusian lawyer ‘abducted’ in Moscow, transferred to Minsk Russian FSB detains two individuals plotting coup in Belarus, assassination of Lukashenka In a story developing over the week, Belarusian and Russian security services detained three individuals alleged to have been plotting a military coup in Belarus and an assassination of Belarus’ dictatorLukashenka. These alleged assassination plotters included: Yuri Zyankovich, a dual Belarus and US Citizen and a former activist who immigrated to the US in 2007 to become an immigration lawyer; Alexander Feduta, a literary critic and a political analyst, who was a member of the first Lukashenka election campaign back in 1994; Ryhor Kastusiou, leader of the BPF Party.