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Belarusian Activist Jailed After Distributing Leaflets


NAVAPOLATSAK, Belarus -- Belarusian opposition activist Andrey Haydukou has been sentenced to 10 days in jail in his native town of Navapolatsak in the country's north.

Haydukou, a founder of the unregistered Belarusian Christian Democratic Party, was sentenced on November 25 for "illegal" distribution of print materials.

He was detained on November 21 after distributing leaflets with data about political prisoners in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic.

Haydukou was released from jail in May after serving an 18-month term after for attempting to contact a foreign intelligence service.

Haydukou denied guilt and said his imprisonment was politically motivated.

In 2010-11, Haydukou served as an aide to opposition presidential candidate Andrey Sannikau, who received political asylum in Europe in 2012 after spending 16 months in jail following a crackdown on protests over the disputed re-election of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Lukashenka has tolerated little dissent during his 20 years as president.

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