The former chairwoman of an independent labor union at the Naftan oil refinery in Belarus went on trial in the northeastern city of Vitsebsk on March 11 on a charge of inciting hatred. Volha Brytsikava was arrested in August. Before that, she was sentenced to jail terms multiple times for openly speaking out against the government of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In all, Brytsikava has spent 105 days behind bars. Human rights groups in Belarus recognized her as a political prisoner. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
