Belarus Jails Opposition Leaders Amid Crackdown
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Two leading figures of Belarus’s growing protest movement have been given 10-day jail terms for organizing rallies against the authoritarian president.
Olga Kovalkova and Sergei Dylevsky are both members of the opposition’s National Co-ordination Council.
Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya launched the Council after Belarus’s disputed presidential election.
President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed a new term in office after 26 years in power. Officials say he won the August 9 ballot with 80 percent of the vote, but demonstrators doubt the results.
The European Union and the United States have also rejected the vote as neither free nor fair.
Belarus’s long-time leader has threatened to crack down on his opponents as daily demonstrations continue. As many as 200,000 people demanded his resignation over the weekend.
In recent weeks, several people were killed, and hundreds were injured in clashes with police. Thousands of people have been detained.
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