TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian journalist Pavel Dabravolski was convicted Monday of treason and sentenced to nine years in a maximum-security prison, activists said, the fifth media worker to be jailed in two weeks in a relentless government crackdown on freedom of the press.
Dabravolski, who has reported for international and domestic news outlets and won numerous prizes for his work, was found guilty during a closed-door trial at Minsk City Court, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The 36-year-old most recently worked for BelaPAN, which the Belarusian authorities have designated as extremist.
President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for over three decades, has stayed in power through a relentless crackdown on dissent.
Massive protests broke out following the 2020 elections, which were widely denounced as fraudulent. More than 65,000 people were arrested and thousands were beaten. In the wake of the protests, hundreds of independent media outlets and nongovernmental organizations were shut down and outlawed.
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Dabravolski was being targeted by “trumped-up charges.”
“Dabravolski’s only ‘crime’ was doing his job and covering the 2020 protests after the stolen elections,” she said. “We see that the conveyor belt of repression inside Belarus continues unabated.”
Activists have reported a sharp increase in government pressure on Belarus’ media workers.
“Repression is escalating and Dabravolski's sentence shows that the authorities are increasing pressure on journalists in a country that already has the worst freedom of speech in Europe,” Andrei Bastunets, the head of the journalists' association, told The Associated Press.
The group says that 28 journalists are imprisoned in Belarus.
“It contradicts the idea that the human rights situation in Belarus has allegedly improved due to the release of prominent political prisoners,” Bastunets said.
Under Lukashenko, Belarus has faced years of Western isolation and sanctions for repression and for allowing Moscow to use its territory during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He has recently sought to improve relations with the West by releasing hundreds of political prisoners.
Many more remain behind bars, however, with human rights organization Viasna estimating that there are 1,140 political prisoners.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrives to attend a meeting of the supreme council of the Union State with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 9, 2026--
Talroo has been named the 2026 Lighthouse Tech Award winner for Best Frontline-Focused Solution in Talent Acquisition by Lighthouse Research & Advisory.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260309349240/en/
Frontline hiring teams know the feeling: a role sits open for weeks, the floor is short-staffed, and the standard job boards aren't moving the needle. Talroo was built for exactly that scenario.
The Lighthouse judging panel recognized Talroo for something straightforward but rare in this industry: actually helping frontline employers hire more people, not just generating more applications.
"Talroo is an outcome-driven talent acquisition platform for frontline organizations, differentiating itself by optimizing for full hiring funnel results, from leveraging unique talent supply to introducing prequalification alignment that reduces noise and turnover. This focus on frontline readiness delivers measurable business impact, including helping customers achieve up to an 80% increase in hire and interview rates and, in one case study, a 225% increase in qualified leads with a reduction in cost per hire in hard-to-fill markets."
— Lighthouse Research & Advisory Awards Judging Panel
Frontline hiring is a different problem than most TA tech is built to solve. The candidates aren't spending their lunch break browsing LinkedIn. The roles that matter most to business operations — hourly team members, drivers, healthcare aides, warehouse workers, skilled tradespeople — are often the hardest to reach and the first to get deprioritized by big job boards optimized for white-collar volume.
Talroo was built specifically for that gap. The platform reaches job seekers most sources don't, pre-screens candidates with SmartQualify™ so recruiters aren't wading through unqualified applicants, and works with customers as the ace up their sleeve.
"We built Talroo around a simple principle: unfilled frontline jobs are the most expensive cost in hiring," said Bruce Ge, Founder and CEO. "This recognition from Lighthouse validates our commitment to measurable outcomes — not vanity metrics. Our customers don't need more clicks. They need more hires. We're proud to deliver technology that helps them fill critical roles faster and more efficiently."
Talroo serves employers across healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, skilled trades, and beyond. The award is the third Lighthouse recognition in five years and the result of the same focus: build something that actually helps people get hired.
About Talroo
Talroo helps businesses hire frontline and skilled trades workers faster, at lower cost, and in the markets where hiring is hardest. Learn more at www.talroo.com.
Talroo Wins 2026 Lighthouse Tech Award for Best Frontline-Focused Solution in Talent Acquisition
