The Homel regional court in southeastern Belarus has sentenced journalist Larysa Shchyrakova to 3 1/2 years in prison after finding her guilty of "facilitating extremist activities" and "discrediting" Belarus as a crackdown on dissent by the country's authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues. Investigators say she placed materials online that "discredited" the country and collected information for the Minsk-based Vyasna human rights group, as well as the Poland-based Belsat television channel. Arrested in early December, local rights groups have recognized Shchyrakova as a political prisoner. She has said she will not appeal the verdict. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
Belarus Sentences Journalist To 3 1/2 Years In Prison For 'Extremism'
Belarusian journalist Larysa Shchyrakova (file photo)