Exiled Belarus opposition leader says she hasn’t heard from her imprisoned husband for over 400 days

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ exiled opposition leader says that she hasn’t heard from her imprisoned husband for 421 days. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Thursday that holding her husband incommunicado is part of the government’s repressive policies. Siarhei Tsikhanouski has been behind bars since being arrested in 2020 after announcing plans to challenge Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in a vote that year. After Tsikhanouski was arrested, his wife ran in his stead as the main opposition candidate but was forced by authorities to leave the country after the election. Along with Tsikhanouski, several top opposition figures also have been held incommunicado for more than a year.