In Belarus, 3 protest musicians are sentenced to long prison terms

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Members of a pop music group that became a symbol of protest in Belarus were sentenced Tuesday to prison terms of up to nine years in the country’s relentless crackdown on dissent. The Tor Band became widely known in Belarus during a wave of protests that arose in August 2020 following a disputed presidential election in which Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner, giving him a sixth term in office. The protests lasted for months, the largest and most prolonged demonstration of dissent since Lukashenko came to power in 1994 and began repressing independent news media and opposition.