Belarus sends one more independent journalist to prison

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Belarus has sentenced another independent journalist to three years in prison. It’s the second prison sentence handed to a journalist in the county this week in a sweeping, years-long crackdown on independent media. According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Aliaksandr Liubianchuk was convicted on the charges of participating in an extremist group. Liubianchuk had worked with a number of independent media, including Poland-based Belsat TV channel, which was outlawed as extremist in Belarus. He had extensively covered mass anti-government protests that erupted in Belarus in 2020. Earlier this week, prominent investigative journalist Siarhei Satsuk was sentenced to eight years in prison.