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Minsk Court Sentences Polish-Belarusian Activist Poczobut To Eight Years In Prison.

Andrzej Poczobut (center) attends a court hearing last month.

Andrzej Poczobut (center) attends a court hearing last month.

MINSK -- A court in Minsk has sentenced a leader of the Polish-Belarusian community, noted journalist Andrzej Poczobut, to eight years in prison for criticizing Belarus's authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and his regime.

The Hrodna regional court in the country's west sentenced the 49-year-old activist and journalist on February 8 on charges of public calls for actions directed at harming the country's national security, distributing materials containing such calls, and inciting hatred.
The trial was held behind closed doors. Poczobut, who is a correspondent for the respected Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, was arrested in March 2021 amid rising tensions between Minsk and Warsaw following the brutal suppression of mass protests against Lukashenka after he claimed a landslide victory in a 2020 presidential election. The Belarusian opposition claimed the election was rigged in favor of Lukashenka, who has been in power since 1994. Relations between Poland and Belarus worsened further after a migrant crisis on their shared border at the end of 2021, which Warsaw blamed on Minsk, and after Lukashenka allowed Moscow to use its territory as a launching pad for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The European Union, the United States, and other countries have imposed sanctions against Lukashenka's regime following the crackdown on protesters. The Minsk-based Vyasna (Spring) rights group has included Poczobut on its list of 1,440 political prisoners in Belarus, and Poland has demanded his release. Poland, along with most of Europe and many other countries around the world, has criticized Lukashenka, and has provided sanctuary for Belarusian opposition leaders and activists.

Witnesses at scene of Baltimore bridge collapse describe devastation.

Witnesses at scene of Baltimore bridge collapse describe devastation.

Baltimore residents and witnesses of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse describe the moment they heard the crash and the scene afterward. #news #baltimore #breakingnews CBS News Streaming Network is the premier 24/7 anchored streaming news serv...

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Hundreds of demonstrators at Supreme Court as justices hear abortion pill case.

Hundreds of demonstrators at Supreme Court as justices hear abortion pill case.

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday in a case about access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone. CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand has more on the case and the demonstrators who have come to the court to make their voices he...

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'This is catastrophic': Baltimore bridge collapse will be 'devastating,' local lawmaker warns.

'This is catastrophic': Baltimore bridge collapse will be 'devastating,' local lawmaker warns.

Maryland State Sen. Johnny Salling joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the impact of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on his community. #FoxNews Subscribe to Fox News! Watch more Fox News Video: Watch Fox News Channel Live: FOX News Channel (FNC...

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How did the cargo ship crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore?.

How did the cargo ship crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore?.

CCTV shows the vessel losing power, start smoking and eventually hitting the Baltimore bridge. #baltimorebridge #bridgecollapse #skynews SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: Follow us on Twitter: Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Inst...

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LIVE: Pres. Biden addresses Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

LIVE: Pres. Biden addresses Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

––– Subscribe to ABC News on YouTube: Watch 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events on ABC News Live: Watch full episodes of World News Tonight with David Muir here: Read ABC News reports online: ABC News Digital is your daily source of bre...

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Passengers arrive in Miami on flight from Haiti, more flights scheduled.

Passengers arrive in Miami on flight from Haiti, more flights scheduled.

The first commercial flights from Haiti since gang violence erupted in the country's capital landed in Miami Monday. Haiti's Sunrise Airways and GlobalX Airlines joined together to bring two flights out of the embattled Caribbean nation, carrying ...

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