Belarus leader signs law increasing prison terms for protesters

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (Sergei Sheleg/AP)

Belarus’ authoritarian president signed a law that threatens demonstrators with years in prison, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on protests against his rule.

The law envisages a prison sentence of up to three years for the participants in unsanctioned protests who had faced sanctions for joining them on at least two occasions over a year.