The Minsk court on Monday sentenced the leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition movement Svyatlana Cihanouska to 15 years in prison in absentia, the Belarusian propaganda agency “Belta” reports.
/nginx/o/2022/06/09/14613852t1ha387.jpg "Cihanouskai is sentenced to 15 years in prison in absentia 2")
The Minsk court on Monday sentenced the leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition movement Svyatlana Cihanouska to 15 years in prison in absentia, the Belarusian propaganda agency “Belta” reports.
Several other Belarusian opposition activists were convicted in absentia in this case.
Pavel Latushko was sentenced to 18 years in prison, while Marija Moroza, Olga Kovalkova and Sergej Dilevski were sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Belarusian oppositionists have been found guilty of conspiracy to seize power, creating and leading an extremist group, as well as public calls for the overthrow of the existing government and inciting social hatred.
Cihanouska previously called this trial a farce.
Since the mass protests in 2020 and their brutal suppression, the Lukashenko regime has imprisoned many journalists, activists and opposition representatives.
Many opposition activists, including Cihanouska, have gone into exile.
Cihanouska was a presidential candidate and the main rival of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko in the August 9, 2020 elections.
Cihanouska participated in the elections in place of her husband Sergej Cihanouska, who was detained after announcing his intention to run in the elections. He is still in prison.
The election results were falsified by the Belarusian authorities in favor of Lukashenko, leading to mass protests by the population. These protests were brutally suppressed by the authorities.
In 2021, Cihanouska’s husband Sergej was sentenced to 18 years in prison. In the same year, Cihanouska’s associate Marija Kolesnikova was also sentenced to 11 years in prison.
