Belarusian opposition leader Tikhanovsky jailed for 18 years over protests

Belarusian opposition leader Tikhanovsky jailed for 18 years over protests
December 14, 2021, 3:28 pm

Belarus-Minsk-Victory square/Pixabay

The BBC reported that a Belarusian opposition leader who rallied mass protests against disputed leader Alexander Lukashenko has been jailed for 18 years.

Sergei Tikhanovsky was convicted of organising riots among other charges following a trial condemned as a sham.

He planned to challenge Mr Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election, but was detained before the vote.

His wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, took on Mr Lukashenko, who claimed victory in the widely discredited poll.

She claimed victory herself in the August election but, fearing for her safety, was forced into exile with her children the next day.

Flag of Belarus

On Tuesday, Ms Tikhanovskaya questioned the validity of the court that tried her husband and told the BBC his sentence amounted to "personal revenge" by Mr Lukashenko.

Ms Tikhanovskaya wrote in a tweet: "While hiding the political prisoners in closed trials, he hopes to continue repressions in silence. But the whole world watches. We won't stop."

It should be noted that Tikhanovsky is now one of hundreds of political prisoners thought to be held in Belarusian jails.

Source: BBC

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