A prominent journalist in Belarus was designated a political prisoner on March 26 by the country’s leading human rights group following his conviction on charges widely seen as part of an ongoing crackdown on dissent.
Ihar Karnei, who used to write for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other news outlets, was handed a three-year prison sentence on March 22 on charges of participation in an extremist group.
Karnei is a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, or BAJ, the country’s top independent journalist group championing freedom of speech that has been branded extremist by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko’s government. Karnei is one of 34 Belarusian journalists who are in prison serving their sentences or awaiting trial.
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