Belarus Opposition Activists Jailed Until After Elections

Tell the Truth activists set up a picket in Minsk in August.

MINSK -- A court in Minsk has sentenced three opposition activists from the Tell the Truth movement to jail for attempting to organize a rally calling for a boycott of the September 23 parliamentary elections.

The jail sentences of seven, 10, and 12 days will keep the three in prison until after the September 23 vote.

A fourth activist was fined 2 million rubles, or about $240, in the case.

The activists were arrested on September 18 along with Belarusian and international journalists.

The journalists have been released.

The Tell the Truth movement encourages Belarusians to speak out about social problems in the country.

It was launched in 2010 by opposition politician and former Belarusian presidential candidate Uladzimer Nyaklyaeu.

Two major opposition parties in Belarus announced earlier this month that they will boycott the legislative elections.