A court has jailed two opponents of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko for organising a protest against his disputed re-election.

Nikolai Statkevich and Dmitry Uss, both of whom ran against Lukashenko in last year’s vote, were jailed for six and five-and-a-half years respectively.

Earlier this month, leading opposition figure Andrei Sannikov of the Charter 97 rights group, who also stood against Lukashenko, was sentenced to five years in a high-security prison on a similar charge.

Lukashenko has hinted he could grant pardons in an apparent bid to mend ties with the West.