MINSK -- Belarusian lawyer Anastasia Lazarenka, who consulted with activists jailed for taking part in mass protests challenging the official results of an August 2020 presidential election, has been sentenced to six years in prison.
Judge Svyatlana Charapanava of the Minsk City Court sentenced Lazarenka on May 11 after finding her guilty of organizing an unsanctioned mass gathering, organizing and preparing actions that "blatantly" aimed to disrupt social order, and misusing the personal data of Belarusian police officers and judges.
The first two charges stemmed from Lazarenka's free legal consultations to jailed activists outside the Minsk Akrestsina detention center in 2020. The third charge alleged Lazarenka published information on police officers on the social media platform Telegram.
It is not clear how Lazarenka pleaded.
Separately on May 11, a court in the southeastern city of Homel started the trial of journalist Yauhen Merkis over his coverage of the same mass anti-government protests following the August 2020 presidential poll.
Merkis was arrested in September last year after police searched his home. He was charged with the creation of an extremist group and participating in extremist activities.
Hundreds of people have been handed prison terms in the unrest sparked by the election, in which the country's authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, claimed victory while rights activists and opposition politicians said the poll was rigged.
Belarus witnessed unprecedented protests over the election results that lasted several months.
Thousands were detained, and there have been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment of detainees by security forces. Several people have died during the crackdown.
The 68-year-old Lukashenka has leaned heavily on Russian support amid Western sanctions while punishing the opposition and arresting or forcing abroad many of its leaders.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka's self-declared victory.