Belarus opposition leader's husband sentenced to 18 years in jail

A Belarusian court has sentenced the husband of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to 18 years in jail for organising mass unrest and inciting social hatred, news agencies reported on Tuesday.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Photo: EPA/KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

Siarhei Tsikhanouski was imprisoned in May last year as he prepared to run for the presidency against Belarus' strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, the Reuters news agency reported.

Tsikhanouskaya ran in her husband's place in the presidential election. Mass protests broke out in the country after the opposition accused Lukashenko of rigging the vote in August last year.

Tsikhanouskaya confirmed in a tweet on Tuesday that her husband, who denied the charges against him, was "sentenced to 18 years in prison."

My husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, is sentenced to 18 years in prison. The dictator publicly takes revenge on his strongest opponents. While hiding the political prisoners in closed trials, he hopes to continue repressions in silence. But the whole world watches. We won't stop. ✊ pic.twitter.com/hdnHj8y6HZ

— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) December 14, 2021

Meanwhile, several other Belarusian opposition activists were handed prison terms ranging from 14 to 16 years, Tsikhanouskaya said, listing Artsiom Sakau, Dzmitry Papou, Ihar Losik, Uladzimir Tsyhanovich and Mikalai Statkevich.

"They're repressed for the wish to live in a free Belarus," Tsikhanouskaya tweeted.

Siarhei Tsikhanouski was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Artsiom Sakau & Dzmitry Papou to 16, Ihar Losik & Uladzimir Tsyhanovich to 15, Mikalai Statkevich to 14. The very existence of these people is a crime for the regime. They're repressed for the wish to live in free Belarus. pic.twitter.com/UuL9Fx2IAe

— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) December 14, 2021

(gs)

Source: Reuters, rp.pl