Belarus Sentences News Site Managers to 12 Years in Prison

The editor-in-chief and general director of Tut.by, Belarus's largest independent news site, have been sentenced to 12 years in jail on charges including tax evasion and "incitement to hatred." The verdicts are part of a wider crackdown on journalists, opposition figures, and activists who challenged President Alexander Lukashenko's claim to have won a sixth term in 2020. Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya condemned the sentences, while media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called for the women's release. Two other perceived government critics were also jailed on Friday.