Belarusian news site says its chief editor has been seized by unidentified men
- Hrodna.life editor Aliaksei Shota was seized by unidentified men who pulled up outside his residence on Sunday, according to Shota’s ex-wife
- The report of Shota’s detention comes amid a crackdown on opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
A popular internet news site in one of Belarus’ largest cities says its chief editor has been seized.
The report of the detention of Hrodna.life editor Aliaksei Shota comes amid a crackdown on independent journalists and opponents of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The publication in Belarus’ fifth-largest city Grodno cited Shota’s former wife as saying on Facebook that a bus carrying unidentified men pulled up outside Shota’s residence on Sunday and seized him. There was no immediate statement from police on the incident.
Shota 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 Minsk because of an alleged bomb threat. The flight was flying over Belarus en route from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania.
The move sparked wide denunciation in the West as an act of hijacking and demands for Protasevich’s release. The European Union banned flights from Belarus.