2 Belarusian journalists sentenced to prison in a closed-door trial, rights group says

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A human rights group says two Belarusian journalists who worked for news outlets that the country’s authoritarian government has declared extremist have been sentenced to prison terms. Viasna said on Thursday that reporter Ales Sabaleuski was sentenced to four years and cameraman Yauhen Hlushkou to three years. The convictions in a closed-door trial on Wednesday are the latest in a persistent crackdown on dissent and independent journalism. More than 35,000 people have been arrested in the crackdown and many prominent opposition figures have fled the country or were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Viasna says there are nearly 1,400 political prisoners now in Belarus.