Belarus mother jailed over ‘unsanctioned mass gatherings’

By YURAS KARMANAU
The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Belarus court has sentenced neighborhood activist Volha Zalatar to four years in prison for creating an “extremist group” on the messaging app Telegram, the country’s top rights group, Viasna, reported. Zalatar, a 38-year old mother of five underaged children, has been held in custody since March. She moderated a local group on Telegram in the town of Zhdanovichy and organized concerts, parties and walks. Authorities said the activities were “unsanctioned mass gatherings” and accused her of coordinating an “extremist organization.”  Authorities have waged a multi-pronged crackdown on dissent in the year since President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term in an election that the opposition and the West saw as a sham.