Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on August 11, 2021. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.

One year after a contested election and many protests, the movement to free Belarus from President Alexander Lukashenko has boiled over into neighboring states. This also means Belarusians around the world might fear the long arm of Lukashenko’s rule. Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was quick to escape, but others faced a tragic end. What is happening in Belarus and how much power does Lukashenko hold beyond its borders?

In this episode: 

• Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic Sprinter
• Step Vassen, Al Jazeera Correspondent
• Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova), Journalist, Non-Resident Fellow at The Atlantic Council (@AtlanticCouncil)

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Sarí el-Khalili. The original production team was Amy Walters, Dina Kesbeh, Alexandra Locke, Negin Owleie, Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Tom Fenton, and our host, Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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