Belarus: Lukashenko opponent jailed for 5 years

One of President Alexander Lukashenko's main political opponents was sentenced in Belarus on Saturday to five years in jail on a charge linked to a rally last December against the leader's re-election.

Andrei Sannikov, a former deputy foreign minister and co-founder of the Charter 97 rights group, was found guilty of organising mass disturbances, a charge he had denied. Sannikov, 57, was one of seven presidential candidates who were arrested on Dec. 19 during a mass rally in the capital Minsk against Lukashenko's re-election that day for a fourth term in power. (Reuters)