Minsk, Belarus - The most prominent rights group in Belarus says its arrested leader faces up to seven years in jail for helping political prisoners and government critics in the authoritarian ex-Soviet nation.
Police arrested Ales Belyatsky of the Vyasna group police outside his home in Minsk Thursday, and police conducted searches in the group's offices.
The group said Friday that Belyatsky faces up to seven years in jail on charges of “concealment of income.”
It says Belyatsky received large amounts of cash in neighboring Lithuania from the group's Western donors since his group was officially barred from receiving grants in Belarus.
Since 1996, the group has provided legal assistance to thousands of Belarusians living with President Alexander Lukashenko's policies. - Sapa-AP