Belarus activist charged with inciting subversion

Belarusian authorities have charged Maria Kolesnikova, the protest leader and politician, with incitement to undermine national security, which can carry a five-year jail term. Kolesnikova is accused of calling for ‘‘actions aimed at undermining Belarusian national security’’, the country’s investigative body said. The ex-musician emerged as an opposition leader after Belarusians protested at Alexander Lukashenko’s widely disputed landslide victory in the August presidential election. Authorities crushed protestswith -extreme violence and tortured hundreds in prison. The charge came just a fewdays after Lukashenko met Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart