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Belarus: Opposition leader Tikhanovsky jailed for 18 years
POLITICS
14.12.2021 | 20:14
A Belarusian opposition leader who rallied mass protests against disputed leader Alexander Lukashenko has been jailed for 18 years, BBC reported.
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.
On Tuesday, Ms Tikhanovskaya questioned the validity of the court that tried her husband and said his sentence amounted to “revenge” by Mr Lukashenko.
Belarusian state news agency Belta said the verdict was delivered at a court in the south-eastern city of Gomel on Tuesday.
State newspaper Sovetskaya Belarus said five other opposition figures tried alongside Mr Tikhanovsky were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 16 years. Among them was veteran politician Mikola Statkevich, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
