Belarus human rights activist gets 7-year prison term for work documenting police crackdown

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Belarus has convicted a prominent human rights activist of “inciting social hatred” for her work documenting alleged police abuses against political opposition groups. The Minsk City Court sentenced Nasta Loika to seven years in prison on Tuesday. She rejected the charges as trumped up. The 34-year-old’s closed-door came amid a relentless crackdown on dissent in Belarus, a Russian ally which President Alexander Lukashenko has led with an iron fist since 1994. Belarusian human rights organization Viasna denounced Loika’s conviction and sentencing as a politically motivated punishment and demanded her immediate release. The organization says Belarus now has 1,496 political prisoners.