Belarusian journalist sentenced to 6 years in prison for reporting on the opposition

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A prominent journalist in Belarus has been sentenced to six years in prison, the latest step in a years-long crackdown on opposition figures, independent journalists and human rights activists. On trial in the city of Grodno in western Belarus, Pavel Mazheika, 45, was found guilty Wednesday of “complicity in extremist activity” for covering the activities of the political opposition. Lawyer Yuliya Yurhilevich also was sentenced to six years in prison for giving Mazheika information on Belarus’ political prisoners, notably on dissident artist Ales Pushkin who died in a Belarusian prison earlier this month. Journalists and activists in Belarus have faced large-scale repression since the 2020 vote that handed a sixth term to President Alexander Lukashenko.