A Belarusian court sentenced two more former
presidential candidates to jail on Thursday. Nikolai Statkevich and
Dmitry Uss were sentenced to six and five-and-a- half years in a
high-security prison respectively for organizing mass protests during
the December presidential elections.
Statkevich and Uss were among seven opposition candidates who were
arrested along with about 700 protesters after police dispersed a
demonstration that protested fraud in last December's election.
President Alexander Lukashenko was declared winner with nearly 80
percent of the vote but other candidates don't believe the official
figures. Earlier three other former candidates were sentenced to prison
terms. Andrei Sannikov was sentenced to five years in a high- security
prison, Vladimir Neklyayev received two years in prison with a two-year
deferral, while Vitaly Rimashevsky received a two- year suspended
sentence.
The European Union and the United States have condemned the convictions and called for the immediate release of all protesters. Xinhua
