In Belarus, authorities have detained a prominent political analyst, Ihar Ilyash, who is notably the spouse of a journalist currently incarcerated. This incident is part of the ongoing and intense suppression of dissent against President Alexander Lukashenko’s rule.

On Tuesday, the country’s Interior Ministry presented Ilyash in handcuffs, although they did not disclose the specific reasons for his arrest. Ilyash is married to Katsiaryna Bakhvalava, a journalist who has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty of treason.

Bakhvalava worked as a correspondent for Belsat, a satellite news channel funded by Poland. She was among the first journalists to be taken into custody during the severe crackdown that initiated in 2020, following mass protests triggered by contentious presidential election results that allowed Lukashenko to secure a sixth term in office.

Lukashenko has maintained his presidency since 1994 and has systematically quashed opposition movements and restricted independent media outlets. The intensity of crackdowns significantly escalated in 2020, leading many opposition figures to either flee the nation or face imprisonment.

Ilyash himself has faced legal troubles; he was imprisoned twice for a total of 30 days during 2020 and 2021 for contributing to online news platforms that the Belarusian government has classified as extremist.

Currently, the Belarusian human rights organization Viasna reports that there are 1,299 political prisoners in the country. This grim statistic includes Ales Bialiatski, the organization’s founder, who has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in advocating for human rights.