Belarusian Government Imprisons Independent News Site Staff for Criticizing Lukashenko

Belarus has sentenced the editor-in-chief and general director of Tut.by, the country's largest independent news site, to 12 years each behind bars 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 Alexander Lukashenko's claim that he won a sixth presidential term in 2020. The UN has accused Belarus of systemic abuses, including the repression of protesters and dissidents, that could amount to crimes against humanity.