An imprisoned journalist in Belarus designated a political prisoner by a leading rights group

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A prominent journalist in Belarus was designated a political prisoner on Tuesday by the country's leading human rights group following his conviction on charges widely seen as part of an ongoing crackdown on dissent.

Ihar Karnei, who used to write for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other news outlets, was handed a three-year prison sentence on Friday on charges of participation in an extremist group.

Karnei is a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, or BAJ, the country's top independent journalist group championing freedom of speech that has been branded extremist by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko's government.

During his trial, Belarusian authorities accused Karnei of cooperation with BAJ to publish “materials insulting the head of state and representatives of the government.”