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WORLD NEWS Saturday 1 auguSt 2020
Moscow demands that Belarus free 33 detained Russians

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV rate Belarus with Russia and
Associated Press vowed to resist them.
MOSCOW (AP) — The The 65-year-old Belarusian
Kremlin demanded Friday leader is campaigning to
that Belarus quickly release retain his post amid a wave
33 Russian private security of opposition protests driv-
contractors it detained on en by weariness and an-
terrorism charges, dismiss- ger over his iron-fisted rule
ing accusations of plots and the bruising economic
during the Belarus presiden- damage from the corona-
tial campaign as bogus. virus pandemic.
The allegations represent Belarus election officials
an unprecedented esca- have blocked his two main
lation of tensions between challengers from being
Russia and neighboring Be- registered to run against
larus, traditionally close al- him. One of them has been
lies, as Belarus' President Al- jailed on what supporters
exander Lukashenko seeks call fake charges. The oth-
a sixth term in the Aug. 9 er fled to Russia with his chil-
election. dren after alleged reports
Belarusian officials said In this photo taken from video released by Belarusian KGB, State TV and Radio Company of Belarus from security officials that
the employees of private on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, Belarusian KGB officers detain Russian men in a sanitarium outside he would be arrested and
Russian military contrac- in Minsk, Belarus. his children would be taken
tor Wagner, who were de- Associated Press away.
tained Wednesday, are tary contractors to eastern relations," Peskov said dur- cess to the detainees. The opposition has united
facing a criminal probe on Ukraine, Syria and Libya. ing a conference call with Experts say Belarus long has behind another candidate,
charges of plotting terror Independent observers reporters. "We expect our provided a transit corridor Svetlana Tikhanovskaya,
attacks in Belarus amid the and opposition supporters Belarusian allies to clear up for sensitive Russian opera- the wife of a jailed opposi-
country's presidential elec- in Belarus see the deten- this incident immediately tions abroad. Lukashenko tion blogger.
tion campaign. tion of the Russians as part and release our citizens." now appears to be trying On Thursday, Belarus' Inves-
The Ukrainian authorities, of the authoritarian Lukash- Peskov said members of a to use a routine Russian de- tigative Committee linked
meanwhile, said Friday enko's efforts to shore up Russian security firm were ployment for his own politi- the detained Russians to
they will ask Belarus to hand sagging public support. en route to an unspeci- cal gain. her husband as part of a
over 28 of the detainees on The Kremlin, which first re- fied country and were de- Throughout his 26 years as criminal investigation into
charges of fighting along- acted cautiously to Be- tained after missing a con- president, Lukashenko, a alleged preparations for
side Russia-backed sepa- larus' move, toughened necting flight to Istanbul at former collective farm di- staging "mass riots."
ratists in eastern Ukraine. its stance Friday. Kremlin the Belarusian capital of rector, has relied on Rus- Speaking Thursday at a
The Wagner company is spokesman Dmitry Peskov Minsk's airport. sian subsidies to keep the rally in Minsk that drew tens
linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Russia expects Belarus "They have done nothing nation's Soviet-style econ- of thousands in the big-
a Russian businessman who to quickly free the detain- wrong and carried no ille- omy running but resisted gest demonstration since
was indicted in the United ees. gal items," he added. Moscow's push for closer the start of the presiden-
States for meddling in the "The unwarranted deten- The Russian Embassy in integration of the neighbor- tial campaign, Tikhanovs-
2016 U.S. presidential elec- tion of the 33 Russian citi- Minsk said Friday that Be- ing nations. He frequently kaya dismissed the charges
tion. The firm has allegedly zens doesn't fit into the larusian authorities met its accused the Kremlin of against her husband as a
deployed hundreds of mili- framework of the allied demand for consular ac- harboring plans to incorpo- crude fabrication.q

Trudeau says he didn’t offer charity preferential treatment

By ROB GILLIES that We Charity, an organi- "pushed back."
Associated Press zation Trudeau's family has "When the issue of We came
TORONTO (AP) — Cana- worked for, was chosen forward my concern was to
dian Prime Minister Justin to administer it. Trudeau's push back on it, to delay it
Trudeau said Thursday he wife, brother and mother from Cabinet so that more
did not intervene to make have been paid a com- due diligence could hap-
sure a charity his family did bined $300,000 Canadian pen. Looking back on it it
paid work for would win a (US$221,000) for speaking would have been better
government contract. at a number of WE events. for perception's sake that I
Trudeau has apologized "We Charity received no had simply stepped away
and said again that he preferential treatment, not and not been involved at
should have recused him- from me, not from anyone all," Trudeau said. "None of
self from a Cabinet decision else," said Trudeau, who this program was going to
to award a contract to ad- noted it was the govern- benefit any members of my
minister money to students ment public service that family."
having trouble finding work recommended the govern- Canada's ethics com- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during a sitting of the Special
due to the pandemic. The ment award the contract missioner is investigating Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic in the House of
prime minister made a rare to We Charity. "I did abso- Trudeau over the matter. It Commons Wednesday July 22, 2020 in Ottawa.
parliamentary committee lutely nothing to influence is the third ethics investiga- Associated Press
appearance. that recommendation." tion Trudeau has faced. deal. Students could vol- maximum $5,000 Canadi-
The almost billion-dollar Trudeau said when he Under pressure, the gov- unteer up to 500 hours of an (US$3,668) toward their
program came under scru- learned that We Char- ernment and the charity work with community or- postsecondary education
tiny after it was revealed ity was recommended he on July 3 terminated their ganizations to earn the costs. q