WARSAW - Poland summoned Belarus' senior diplomat in Warsaw on Thursday to protest against the jailing for five years of a journalist accused of stirring anti-government trouble.

Poland presented its position to the Belarusian side and we are focusing on the fight for these people, mostly at the international level.

 Lukasz Jasina, Poland's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson

A Belarusian court found Iryna Slaunikava, of Polish broadcaster Belsat TV, guilty on Wednesday of setting up an extremist group and organizing unrest.

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"Poland presented its position to the Belarusian side and we are focusing on the fight for these people, mostly at the international level," said Lukasz Jasina, Poland's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson.

It was not immediately possible to contact the Belarusian embassy for comment. Jasina said Belarus had made clear it regards Poland's stance as meddling.

Slaunikava was arrested in October at an airport as she returned from a holiday. Most of her trial was held behind closed doors, but she could be seen in a cage when the verdict was handed down.

Minsk has branded Belsat as extremist. Last month, a Belarusian court sentenced another Belsat journalist to eight years in jail for treason.