Belarus grants asylum to fugitive Polish judge wanted on spying allegations

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus has granted asylum to a former Polish judge who faced espionage charges at home following his defection in May to the Kremlin-allied country. Both fugitive Tomasz Szmydt and Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ autocratic President, have alleged that Szmydt fell victim to political repression in Poland, an EU and NATO member that has vocally supported Ukraine. Warsaw put Szmydt on a wanted list in May and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called him a traitor. Szmydt’s defection has brought Poland into focus as a key target for Russian intelligence activity. Warsaw has been working to determine how harmful his knowledge of any classified information might be.