MINSK, Belarus — A court in the Belarusian capital has convicted an opposition activist accused of taking part in a post-election protest. The Moskovsky District court on Wednesday gave the 25-year old Stanislav Baranovich a three-year suspended sentence. He pleaded innocent, saying the rally was peaceful. The verdict followed the conviction and sentencing of 45 other opposition members, including five presidential candidates, who were accused of participation in the election-night protest last December. Opposition supporters took to the streets to protest electoral violations hours after the vote ended, and about 700 people were detained in a violent crackdown. Hundreds were fined. Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko won another term in December's election that was strongly criticized by international observers.
