Nobel Laureate and Activist Ales Bialiatski Sentenced to 10 Years in Belarusian Prison
By Ann M. Simmons, March 3, 2023, WSJ
Putin has given Lukashenko financial and military support, bolstering his embattled junior partner and binding Minsk more tightly to Russia. Lukashenko has publicly supported Putin’s war in Ukraine. Last year, Minsk allowed Moscow to use Belarusian
territory to launch part of its invasion of Ukraine and Lukashenko has since said that he would permit Putin to stage further attacks from his country.

At a press conference in Minsk last month, Lukashenko denied that his govt has jailed people for political reasons, saying govt opponents were incarcerated for breaking the law.

“There is a law—the law is bad, the law is harsh, but it is the law,” he said. “You have to follow it. If you have broken the law, you will be held responsible according to the law.”

Pavel Sapelko, a lawyer for Viasna, said that although Friday’s sentencing was “a serious wound” for Viasna, it wouldn’t deter the group from continuing to fight.

“We will not stop collecting evidence of the totalitarian regime’s crimes, speaking the truth about the human rights situation in Belarus, and supporting the victims whose rights and freedoms have been violated,” he said in a statement.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nobel-laureate-and-activist-ales-bialiatski-sentenced-to-10-years-in-belarusian-prison-8bc0fe26

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"David P." <imbibe@mindspring.com> wrote:

Nobel Laureate and Activist Ales Bialiatski Sentenced to 10 Years in Belarusian Prison
By Ann M. Simmons, March 3, 2023, WSJ
Putin has given Lukashenko financial and military support, bolstering
his embattled junior partner and binding Minsk more tightly to
Russia. Lukashenko has publicly supported Putin’s war in Ukraine. Last year, Minsk allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to launch part
of its invasion of Ukraine and Lukashenko has since said that he would
permit Putin to stage further attacks from his country.

At a press conference in Minsk last month, Lukashenko denied that his
govt has jailed people for political reasons, saying govt opponents
were incarcerated for breaking the law.

“There is a law—the law is bad, the law is harsh, but it is the law,” he said. “You have to follow it. If you have broken the law, you will
be held responsible according to the law.”

Pavel Sapelko, a lawyer for Viasna, said that although Friday’s sentencing was “a serious wound” for Viasna, it wouldn’t deter the group from continuing to fight.

“We will not stop collecting evidence of the totalitarian regime’s crimes, speaking the truth about the human rights situation in
Belarus, and supporting the victims whose rights and freedoms have
been violated,” he said in a statement.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nobel-laureate-and-activist-ales-bialiatski-sentenced-to-10-years-in-belarusian-prison-8bc0fe26

Your lack of quoting laws he broken *according to the court* does not
add credibility to your "political sentencing" assumption.
It is trivial to convince already convinced.

IMHO It is "more than quite likely" political sentencing but _minimal_ standards of reporting should be preserved anyway. Even how hard they
tried to mask it would make quite significant difference.

"Lukashenka isn't only a son of a bitch, but he isn't our son of a bitch"

Could you quite the highest sentence for Occupy Wall Street activist in USA? [Or Capitol Coffee Party] Could we assume that "they had to be"
political?

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Demosthenes

"Delivery, delivery, delivery."
Response when asked to name the three most important components of
rhetoric
Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC)

--
A. Filip : Big (Tech) Brother is watching you.
| The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men
| of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding. (Justice Louis D. Brandeis)

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