Two journalists jailed in Belarus for filming protests

A Belarusian court sentenced two Belarusian journalists from Poland-based TV news channel Belsat who filmed protests against President Alexander Lukashenko to two years in prison on Thursday.

Katsiaryna Andreyeva, 27, and Darya Chultsova, 23, were detained in an apartment in November from where they had been filming protests taking place over the death of a protester who was killed several days earlier. Both women pleaded not guilty after being accused of orchestrating the demonstrations by filming them.

The two journalists appeared in a cage at the hearing on Thursday, hugging and making "V" for victory signs. Their lawyer said they would appeal the verdict. "Just look at Darya and Katsiaryna - strong, smiling, and saying goodbyes to their loved ones through bars. Lukashenka can't break us," exiled opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya wrote on Twitter.

Neighbouring Lithuania, where Tsikhanouskaya is based, urged Minsk to end a "spiral of repression" while Poland said Belarus should end its persecution of journalists.

More than 33,000 people have been detained in a violent crackdown on protests against Lukashenko's rule following a contested election last August that his opponents say was rigged to extend his rule. He has been in office since 1994. The crackdown prompted Western countries to impose new sanctions on Minsk. Lukashenko has refused to step down, buttressed by support from Moscow, which sees Belarus as a buffer state against the European Union and NATO. "Every time I went to work, I risked my health and life," Andreyeva had said in a statement earlier.