Belarus’s top court on Tuesday morning sentenced former presidential candidate Viktor Barbariko to fourteen years in prison.

       The harsh verdict is the latest episode in a year-long crackdown on beleaguered opponents of the country’s autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko.

       State prosecutors alleged Mr Barbariko had created a mafia group to elicit bribes from businessmen. The 57-year-old, who is a prominent banker with Belgazprombank, a lender that is a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned Gazprom, denied the charges.

       Last May he launched an audacious, heavyweight challenge to the 27- year president. Then, he called on Belarusians to re-discover their self respect, conducting a professional campaign under the tagline: "You’re unbelievable."

       The former banker was arrested last June, alongside other potential candidates and family members. But his campaign paved the way for the likely August victory by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, one of three women to run in place of the arrested men.

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       In addition to the jail term, Mr Barbariko was fined 145,000 Belarusian roubles (￡41,250), and ordered to pay a further 45m roubles (￡12m) of damages incurred by his alleged crimes. He was also banned from taking up leadership positions in the future.

       In court, the opposition leader denied the charges, but said that his life would have been made easier had he admitted to the crimes he did not commit. Other members of Mr Barbariko’s team who signed confessions, were given lesser sentences ranging from 5.5 years home arrest to 6 years in prison.

       Few believed a judge would offer clemency to opponents of Belarus’s increasingly erratic leader, who on Saturday appeared to draw parallels with his own plight and those of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.

       In a final statement before sentencing, Mr Barbariko called on followers not to lose hope. Life was a "marathon… not a sprint," and it was important to stay "true to principles”.

       "Belarus will one day become a smiling, honest, and open country," he said.