Foreign

Evan Neumann: Belarus Grants US Capitol Riot Suspect Asylum

By Web News 1175

A California man suspected of taking part in the US Capitol riots last year has been granted asylum in Belarus.

Evan Neumann fled the US after being charged in connection with the riots.

The 48-year-old first settled in Ukraine, before reaching Belarus where he asked for asylum – claiming he faced “political persecution” in the US.

A Belarusian official said Mr Neumann has been granted permission to remain in the country “indefinitely”.

State officials also alleged that Mr Neumann had been forced to cross the Belarusian border “illegally” after attracting “interest from local secret services” in Ukraine.

Mr Neumann told Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta he had “mixed feelings”.

“I am glad Belarus took care of me. I am upset to find myself in a situation where I have problems in my own country.”

In July last year, Mr Neumann was charged on six different counts, including violent entry and assaulting police officers.

He was accused of punching two police officers and using a metal barrier as a “battering ram” against police during the riots at the US Capitol building on 6 January 2021.

But, according to Mr Neumann, he had already sold his house and travelled across Europe to Ukraine.

After worrying the Ukrainian authorities were watching him, Mr Neumann says he crossed the border into Belarus on foot in August and the country does not have an extradition treaty with the US.

In November, Mr Neumann gave an interview to Belarusian state TV and rejected the charges against him.

“I do not believe that I have committed any crime,” he said. “One of the accusations was very upsetting. It is alleged that I hit a police officer. That is baseless.”

He said he was asking for “government protection” from Belarus because of the “political persecution” he faced in the US, including the FBI questioning his family and using a photo of him on its most-wanted list.

A video released by Belta on Tuesday showed an immigration official handing Mr Neumann a document confirming his refugee status and the head of the Brest police migration directorate, Yuryy Brazinski, told state TV that he will eventually be entitled to apply for citizenship.

Mr Neumann is among more than 650 people who have been charged for their actions on 6 January, when supporters of then-US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol to protest against the result of the 2020 election.

Belarus leader under sanctions from the US

Belarus, led by authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, has faced over alleged human rights abuses and its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Neumann told state TV he planned to stay in the Belarusian city of Brest.

“I have started a life here,” he said.

He added that he has plans “to move my family here,” but noted that the decision would ultimately be up to his wife.

BBC

Foreign

Belarus Election: Women Form ‘Solidarity Chains’ to Condemn Crackdown

By Web News 672

Women have formed human chains in Belarus to condemn a crackdown on protests over the disputed election.

Many dressed in white and carried flowers as they called for an end to police brutality.

Unrest erupted across the country after long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared winner of Sunday’s presidential election, sparking allegations of vote rigging.

Thousands of people have been arrested and at least two have died.

In the latest official figures, the interior ministry said police had detained 700 people during protests on Wednesday, bringing the total number to 6,700.

Some detainees were released on Thursday. Tearful relatives have been gathering outside a jail north of the capital Minsk, hoping to be reunited with their loved ones or for information on their whereabouts.

As a fifth day of protests got under way, hundreds of women formed “solidarity chains” in Minsk. Participants told reporters they wanted a peaceful resolution, as they called for all detained protesters to be freed.

It was the second day in a row that women in Minsk had organised such action. Similar scenes were also reported elsewhere in the country.

Video footage shared on social media showed opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova joining the female protesters in Minsk, holding a bunch of flowers.

She was one of three women who pooled their resources to spearhead the opposition. The other two have left the country.

Veronika Tsepkalo fled Belarus on the day of the vote while the main opposition candidate in the election, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was briefly detained on Monday before fleeing to Lithuania.

An associate said Ms Tikhanovskaya was escorted from the country by the authorities as part of a deal to allow the release of her campaign manager, who was arrested on the eve of the election.

Ms Tikhanovskaya, 37, released a video saying she made the “very difficult decision” to leave because of her children.

The opposition candidate was a stay-at-home mother until she entered the race after her husband was arrested and blocked from registering for the vote.

She became Mr Lukashenko’s toughest opposition challenge in years, leading large rallies in the lead up to the vote.

But Mr Lukashenko dismissed her bid, saying a woman could not lead Belarus.

“Our constitution is not for women,” he said earlier this year. “Our society has not matured enough to vote for a woman. This is because by constitution the president handles a lot of power.”

Mr Lukashenko, 65, has ruled the former Soviet country since 1994. He has described opposition supporters as “sheep” controlled from abroad.

As protests continued on Thursday, some workers organised strikes.

Russian internet giant Yandex said armed individuals had entered its offices in Minsk and barred employees inside from leaving. The company said it was trying to get more information about the incident.

Election officials said Mr Lukashenko won 80% of the vote on Sunday, but protests erupted amid widespread allegations of vote rigging. The result was condemned by the European Union as “neither free nor fair”.

Hundreds of people have been injured in a police crackdown on protests, some seriously. A BBC crew was attacked by police on Tuesday evening.

Officials have confirmed the deaths of two people.

BBC