(Read full article on Euronews.com)
Journalists from Belarus’ oldest newspaper Nasha Niva have been imprisoned in the latest crackdown on independent media.
The media outlet’s chief editor Yahor Martsinovich and journalist Andrey Skurko were each were sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on Tuesday.
Martsinovich and Skurko were accused of dodging communal payments — charges they have rejected as politically driven. Both have remained in custody since their arrest in July.
“We upheld the freedom of speech and independence of Belarus, but both have now become hollow,” Martsinovich said in a speech at his trial.
“The newspaper has survived two revolutions and two world wars during its history, and now it’s witnessing another war into which Belarus was drawn. We are its victims.”