Suspended jail terms for Belarus candidates

Belarus handed two-year suspended jail terms to two former presidential candidates yesterday, wrapping up the trials of dozens of opposition leaders amid mounting international outrage.

Vladimir Nekliayev and Vitaly Rymashevsky were convicted of public order offences during post-election protests. Mr Rymashevsky has already said he will appeal.

Hearings for two other candidates, Nikolai Statkevich and Dmitry Uss, who face long jail terms for alleged mass riots last December, were unexpectedly cancelled.

Mr Nekliayev, Mr Rymashevsky and four other opposition activists were found guilty of “actions disrupting social order”, Judge Zhanna Lukovskaya said, an AFP correspondent reported from the courtroom.

Police jailed hundreds of people last year after breaking up a crowd of tens of thousands protesting Mr Lukashenko’s re-election and demanding a fair vote.

The courts charged dozens of protesters, including most of the candidates who had challenged the re-election of the president, with having organised riots.

Mr Lukashenko himself accused prominent opposition figure Andrei Sannikov and his journalist wife Irina Khalip of having plotted to overthrow him.

Last Saturday, a court jailed Mr Sannikov for five years after convicting him of having organised the post-election protests, provoking an international outcry. His wife received a two-year suspended sentence on Monday.

The crackdown was de­nounced by both Europe and the United States and led to a new wave of Western sanctions against the isolated ex-Soviet state.

“What I plan to do first is fight for freedom of innocent people,” Mr Nekliayev said as he was greeted by people with flowers outside the courtroom.