Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Canadians gathered Monday in cities and towns across the country to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and activist Ales Bialiatski has been transferred to solitary confinement at his prison in Belarus, his wife said Tuesday.
Natalia Pinchuk told The Associated Press that prison authorities have toughened conditions for the 61-year-old Bialiatski, who is serving a 10-year sentence, despite his chronic illnesses.
"Effectively, it's a prison inside prison," she said. Prison authorities didn't allow Bialiatski to meet with his lawyer following his transfer over alleged disciplinary violations, she said.
Bialiatski, Belarus' top human rights advocate and one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, was convicted in March with three colleagues on charges of financing actions violating public order and smuggling, accusations he denied.
He has been serving his sentence at a prison colony for repeat offenders in the city of Gorki. The facility is known for inmates being beaten and subjected to hard labor.
"The prison colony in Gorki has an awful reputation as a conveyor belt for tormenting political prisoners," said Pinchuk, who spoke by phone from Strasbourg, where she attended a conference of the Council of Europe. "The authorities in Belarus are continuing brutal repressions, showing that they may subject anyone to torturous conditions regardless of the Nobel prize."
The arrests of Bialiatski and his colleagues came in response to massive protests over a 2020 election that extended authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko's rule and were seen by the opposition and many in the West as a sham.
The protests were the largest ever in Belarus. More than 35,000 people were arrested and thousands were beaten by police.
Lukashenko, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who backed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has ruled Belarus since 1994.
Bialiatski shared the 2022 Nobel with a leading Russian human rights group, Memorial, and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties. He founded the Human Rights Center Viasna, Belarus' most prominent human rights group. It has been branded an "extremist organization" by Belarusian authorities.
Viasna representative Pavel Sapelka told the AP that Bialiatski's move to solitary confinement could involve restrictions on walks, prison meals and food deliveries.
"It means a significant tightening of prison conditions," he said.
Sapelka said Belarus currently has 1,462 political prisoners.
"The Belarusian authorities are blocking access to lawyers, maintaining an information blackout and openly ignoring international norms with regard to all political prisoners," he said.
Canadians gathered Monday in cities and towns across the country to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is naming longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, to be the deputy chief of policy in his new administration.
Toy giant Mattel says it 'deeply' regrets an error on the packaging of its 'Wicked' movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website.
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Business groups are raising concerns about the broad effects of another round of labour disruptions in the transport sector as Canada faces shutdowns at its two biggest ports.
A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.
Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.