The Minsk City Court on January 30 sentenced photojournalist Alyaksandr Zyankou to three years in prison on extremism charges as a crackdown on independent media and democratic institutions continues in Belarus. Judge Zhanna Brysina pronounced the sentence after finding Zyankou guilty of taking part in the activities of the ex-press.by website that was labeled as extremist. According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, 35 journalists are currently behind bars in the country that has been run by authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka since 1994. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
Belarusian Photojournalist Gets Prison Term As Crackdown Continues
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