Roman Protasevich was arrested when his plane was diverted to Minsk airport (Niall Carson/PA)The chief editor of a popular Internet news site in one of Belarus’ largest cities was detained on Sunday amid a crackdown on independent journalists and opponents of authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko. Shota had collaborated with the country’s most popular internet portal, Tut.by, which authorities closed this month after arresting 15 employees. Belarus’ crackdown escalated a week ago with the arrest of dissident journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend who were aboard a commercial flight that was diverted to the Minsk airport because of an alleged bomb threat. Police detained more than 30,000 people in the course of the protests, which persisted for months. Although protests died down during the winter, authorities have continued strong actions against opposition supporters and independent journalists.

Source: Irish Independent May 30, 2021 16:53 UTC