Teachers in Belarus are targeted for links with ‘extremist’ group, says rights group

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A respected human rights organization in Belarus says dozens of teachers have been detained or interrogated by authorities as part of the country’s wide-ranging crackdown on dissent. Pavel Sapelka, a spokesman for the Viasna rights group told The Associated Press on Wednesday that moves against teachers began in September and that all those detained or questioned have taken part in an online teacher-education project that the KGB, Belarus’ main security agency, declared to be an extremist group in August. The project, named Adukavanka, gave guidance on technological innovations in education and offered suggested lesson plans. Hundreds of teachers have been involved. Sapelka did not give precise figures for how many teachers have been detained or questioned.