Belarus court gives opposition activists lengthy jail sentences

Two members of the opposition Coordination Council have been sentenced to 10 and 11 years in prison by authorities.

A court in Belarus has sentenced two leading opposition activists to lengthy prison terms, the latest move in the relentless crackdown on dissent that Belarusian authorities unleashed in the wake of last year’s anti-government protests. Maria Kolesnikova, a top member of the opposition Coordination Council, has been in custody since her arrest last September. A court in Minsk on Monday found her guilty of conspiring to seize power, creating an extremist organisation and calling for actions damaging state security and sentenced her to 11 years in prison. Lawyer Maxim Znak, another leading member of the Coordination Council who faced the same charges, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.