Opposition protests

Belarus

Belarus jails five people for alleged attempted coup

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had claimed that he had foiled a coup in April last year.

05/09/2022

Russia

Journalist who staged TV protest over Ukraine war briefly detained

Marina Ovsyannikova said she had been released a few hours after her arrest.

18/07/2022

Belarus

Belarusian journalist sentenced to more than eight years in prison

The 28-year-old was already serving a two-year sentence for reporting on opposition demonstrations in 2020.

13/07/2022

Russia

Russian opposition figure jailed amid his criticism of Ukraine war

The Kremlin critic was handed a 15-day prison sentence for allegedly disobeying police officers.

28/06/2022

Russia

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny moved to maximum-security prison

The Russian opposition leader had been jailed near Moscow since February 2021.

14/06/2022

Travel News

Sri Lanka: The latest travel advice as violent protests continue

The UK is now advising against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka, after the outbreak of violent anti-government protests.

17/05/2022

Russia

Alexei Navalny faces 13 years in maximum security prison in Russia

The Kremlin critic says the charges against him are politically motivated.

15/03/2022

Russia

Kremlin critic calls for protests and labels Putin an 'insane tsar'

The jailed opposition leader has urged Russian and Belarusian citizens to continue defying the authorities.

02/03/2022

Georgia

Georgia's former president appears in court on abuse of power charges

Mikheil Saakashvili has been imprisoned since he returned to Georgia in October to try and bolster opposition forces.

29/11/2021

Europe Decoded

Belarus threatens to criminalise certain social media channels

Belarus' Main Directorate for Fighting Organised Crime has said that citizens who subscribe to "extremist Telegram channels and chats" are also criminally liable.

14/10/2021

Russia

Russian court imposes restrictions on Navalny's doctor over protests

Dr. Vasilyeva was accused of encouraging Russian citizens to take part in opposition demonstrations and violate COVID-19 safety rules.

14/10/2021

Russia

Russian opposition politician quits Moscow role over 'pressure'

Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin has announced he is quitting as head of Moscow's Krasnoselsky district amid ongoing pressure.

12/07/2021

Algeria

Turn-out low in Algerian election after opposition calls for a boycott

Voter turn-out in Algeria's parliamentary election is reported to be low after calls for a boycott of the poll by a popular protest movement.

13/06/2021

Belarus

Belarus toughens laws against protesters and 'extremism'

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed into effect a law tightening sanctions against protesters taking part in unauthorised rallies and increasing penalties for "extremism".

08/06/2021

Belarus

Belarusian drummer given six-year sentence for playing during rallies

According to Viasna, the musician had blocked traffic by waving a red and white flag and encouraged demonstrators to clap their hands.

13/05/2021

Bulgaria

Bulgarian PM set for tough coalition talks after splintered election

While Borissov led preliminary results with 26% of the vote, his centre-right GERB lost ground to smaller parties following months of anti-graft protests.

05/04/2021

United Kingdom

'Kill the Bill': UK protests over law that will give police new powers

Some carried anti-sexism placards and chanted “Women scared everywhere, police and government do not care!”

04/04/2021

Belarus

'An attempt to intimidate': Belarus arrests journalists and activists

"This is an attempt to intimidate journalists and human rights activists who have been telling the world about the unbelievable scale of repressions," said Viasna activist Valiantsin Stefanovich.

16/02/2021

Russia

Russia: Valentine's Day flashlight protests demand Navalny's release

The protest, dubbed "Love is stronger than fear," was called by Navalny's allies for Valentine's Day in solidarity with people detained in recent opposition protests.

14/02/2021

Poland

Poland: Eleventh day of anti-government, pro-abortion protests

Marches were held in several Polish cities on Sunday despite coronavirus restrictions, and followed a 100,000-strong protest in Warsaw on Friday.

02/11/2020