MINSK -- Belarusian journalist Katsyaryna Andreyeva, who is serving a two-year prison sentence for covering protests against authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka and who was expected to be released in September, has been sentenced to eight years in prison on new charges of high treason.
A court in the southeastern region of Gomel sentenced the Belsat news agency journalist on July 13. The details of the charges remain unknown as the trial, which began on July 4, was held behind closed doors.
Andreyeva, also known as Bakhvalava, and her colleague, Darya Chultsova, were both sentenced to two years in prison in February 2021 after being convicted of "organizing public events aimed at disrupting civil order." They were arrested in November 2020 while they were covering a rally in Minsk commemorating Raman Bandarenka.
The two women rejected the charges against them, calling them politically motivated and asserting they attended the protest as journalists.
Bandarenka died from injuries sustained during a vicious beating by a group of masked assailants -- whom rights activists say were affiliated with the authorities -- during one of the weekly rallies demanding Lukashenka's resignation after he claimed victory in an August 2020 presidential election that the opposition says was rigged.
Belarusian and international human rights organizations have recognized Andreyeva and Chultsova as political prisoners and say all charges should be dropped and they should be released immediately.
Security officials have cracked down hard on any dissent against Lukashenka's rule, arresting thousands, including dozens of journalists who covered the rallies, and pushing most of the top opposition figures out of the country.
Several protesters have been killed, and some rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture by security officials against some of those detained.
Lukashenka, who has run the country with a tight grip since 1994, has denied any wrongdoing with regard to the election and refuses to negotiate with the opposition on stepping down and holding a new election.
The European Union, the United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka, 67, as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have slapped him and senior Belarusian officials with sanctions in response to the "falsification" of the 2020 vote and the brutal postelection crackdown.
