EU condemns prison sentences for Belarus Nobel Peace Prize winner

The European Union condemns the sham trials in which Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and other Belarus human rights activists were sentenced to several years in prison, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday.

"The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms their sham trials that are yet another appalling example of the Lukashenko regime trying to silence those who stand up in defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people in Belarus," Borrell said in a statement.

Bialiatski was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday by a court which found him guilty of financing protests. Bialiatski, 60, was awarded the Nobel prize in October for his work promoting human rights and democracy in Belarus.