BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
17/02/2011
4 years in jail for Belarusian opposition activist
A court in Belarus has sentenced an opposition activist to four years in a maximum security jail amid a crackdown on opponents of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The Frunze district court in Minsk convicted Vasily Parfenkov on Thursday of "participation in mass riots" that took place after December's flawed presidential elections.
More than 700 people were arrested in a crackdown, including seven opposition candidates challenging Lukashenko. Two dozen are still behind bars awaiting trial on charges similar to Parfenkov's.
Under Lukashenko, dubbed "Europe's last dictator," the nation of 10 million retained a Soviet-style state-controlled economy while also repressing opposition activists and independent news media.
Source:
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1518437&lang=eng_news
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