Belarus arrests well-known analyst as crackdown on opposition continues

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Police in Belarus have arrested a well-known political analyst who is the husband of an imprisoned journalist in the country’s relentless crackdown on opposition to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Interior Ministry on Tuesday showed Ihar Ilyash handcuffed in custody but did not say why he was detained. Ilyash is married to Katsiaryna Bakhvalava, who is serving an eight-year prison term after being convicted of treason. Lukashenko, in office since 1994, has consistently suppressed opposition and independent news media. The repression intensified in 2020, and opposition leaders have fled the country or are imprisoned.