In Belarus, popular blogger Tsikhanouski jailed for 18 years after secret 173-day trial
After a secret 173-day trial, Belarusian court found popular blogger & major opposition member Tsikhanouski guilty of inciting mass disturbance & social hate.
- World News
- 2 min read
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After a secret 173-day trial, a Belarusian court found popular blogger and major opposition member Syarhei Tsikhanouski guilty of inciting mass disturbance and social hate and sentenced him to 18 years in jail on December 14. It was the latest in a string of harsh penalties meted out to political opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko in the run-up to the 2020 election.
Syarhei Tsikhanouski, Belarusian Youtuber and the husband of renowned and exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was deported to a 'maximum security colony,' in what is widely considered as retaliation by Lukashenko (who is known as 'Europe's last dictator' due to his autocratic style of governing). It comes after his dictatorship was accused earlier this year of fabricating a bomb threat in order to force a commercial Ryanair flight carrying a dissident journalist to land in Minsk, allowing Belarusian police to apprehend him.
Putin, accused of inciting tens of thousands of migrants to travel to Belarus' borders
Belarus' close ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, is also accused of inciting tens of thousands of migrants to travel to Belarus' borders with Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, triggering the ongoing border crisis in Eastern Europe. Tsikhanouski, who was detained and imprisoned in May of last year as his popularity among voters grew, was sentenced on December 14, at the Gomel regional court after a 173-day trial. The charges had been levelled against him, and he had consistently refuted them.
His wife, speaking from exile in Lithuania with their two children, dubbed the verdict "revenge" and pledged to continue her efforts to depose Lukashenko, 67, who has been in power since 1994, according to The Independent. She went on to say that it's also a way of threatening her. Lukashenko attempted to silence Syarhei by imprisoning her, but he failed.
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Tsikhanouski had faced a maximum penalty of 20 years, but his prosecutor, Denis Mikushev, told state media that the court had given him mercy by only giving him 18 years. His wife Sviatlana ran in his place after his detention just three months before the presidential election. Despite having no prior political experience, the schoolteacher was able to rally a sizable following as the public got tired of Lukashenko's autocratic regime.