Russia’s persecution of critics of the Kremlin or of the invasion of Ukraine is lately taking bizarre twists, with Russians living abroad being sentenced in absentia for spreading fake news to people in Russia paying fines for dreaming about Volodimir Zelensky.

A Belarus court opened on Tuesday a trial in absentia of the country’s leading opposition politicians, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled the country after she challenged the country’s long-time autocratic president Aleksandr Lukashenko at the 2020 elections.

Acourt in Kazakhstan decided on Tuesday to keep one of the country’s best known investigative reporters in custody for two months and investigate allegations against him which he and his supporters believe to have been fabricated in revenge over articles he wrote.

Azerbaijani authoritiesarrested on Sunday the editor of an independent outlet and a lawyer known for defending journalists, activists and political prisoners, accusing them of bribery. Both have denied the allegations but will remain detained during a four-months-long investigation period.

First someone bugged Bolot Temirov’s apartment. Then police raided his office and allegedly planted drugs on him.

Now, Kyrgyz law enforcement has gone even farther: On May 17, the journalist announced that the interior ministry had declared his passport invalid, potentially stripping him of his Kyrgyz citizenship.

An international media watchdog urged Myanmar authorities on Monday to promptly free two journalists working for foreign media and dismiss all charges against them.