Belarus authorities recently detained 12 lawyers who helped political prisoners, rights groups say

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Rights groups in Belarus say that authorities there have detained at least 12 lawyers during mass raids late last month targeting people who have been helping those who have been imprisoned for political reasons. Belarus was rocked in 2020 by mass protests against what critics called fraudulent elections, and since then Belarusian authorities have detained more than than 35,000 people. Authorities also have detained lawyers who provided legal assistance to detainees over the past four years. Rights groups say the latest wave of arrests took place on Feb. 28 in various Belarusian cities, and that 12 lawyers were detained.