The Supreme Court of Belarus on September 18 rejected an appeal filed by rights defender Leanid Sudalenka against a five-year prison term he was handed in absentia in June on a charge of participating in extremist activities. Sudalenka fled Belarus in July 2023 after serving more than 2 1/2 years in prison for taking part in activities that "disrupted social order." The charge stemmed from Sudalenka's participation in mass protests in the summer of 2020 against the results of a presidential election that declared authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the winner. The opposition and many Western governments say the vote was rigged. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
