Belarus lists military unit members among 625 ‘extremists’

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Authorities in Belarus added 625 people, most of them with political opposition ties, to an official list of alleged “extremists.” The eastern European country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs released a sweeping update on Friday that increased the number of blacklisted individuals by a third, to a total of 1,469. The additions include opposition activists, businesspeople, journalists and others who participated in or covered antigovernment protests that rocked Belarus for several months in 2020. The Viasna Human Rights Center, whose founder was named a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize this month, described the action as part of a broader climate of repression amid President Alexander Lukashenko’s support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.