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Nobel Peace Prize Activist Sentenced to 10 in Prison in Belarus

by VOA News

   Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski was sentenced Friday to 10
   years in prison by a Belarus court.

   Bialiatski is the founder of Viasna, a prominent human rights group in
   Belarus that has provided legal and financial support to protesters,
   following a wave of unrest in 2020, following disputed election results
   that returned Belarus strongman President Alexander Lukashenko back
   into office, a position he has held for over 30 years.

   Lukashenko, a frequent ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is
   often called Europe's "last dictator."

   Bialiatski has said he is being persecuted for political reasons.

   Bialiatski was among the three co-recipients of last year's Nobel Peace
   Prize, alongside a Russian and Ukrainian human rights group.