Belarus imprisons opposition leader’s husband for 18 years | Belarus

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The official BELTA news agency reported that Serhiy Tsikhanosky, the husband of the Belarusian opposition leader, Svyatlana Tsykhanuskaya, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for organizing mass unrest and inciting social hatred.

Five of Tsikhanosky’s supporters who were tried with Tsikhanosky were imprisoned for 14-16 years.

Tsikhanosky, a video blogger, was jailed in May 2020 as he prepared to run against Belarus’ leader, Alexander Lukashenko, in the August presidential election. He denied the charges against him. His wife stood in for him in the election, which led to months of mass protests after Lukashenko declared a landslide victory and the opposition accused him of election fraud.

A few hours before the verdict was pronounced, Tsykhanoskaya called it “illegal” and something “not to be tolerated.”

“Commenting on the so-called“ verdict ”, I will ask myself only one question: what will I do with this news? I will continue to defend the person I love, who became the leader of millions of Belarusians, ”she said in a video message. “I will try to do something very difficult, perhaps impossible, in order to bring closer the moment that we will see in the new Belarus.”

Svyatlana Tsykhanuskaya speaking to the European Parliament in November 2021. Photo: Reuters

After the elections, Tsykhanuskaya fled to neighboring Lithuania to escape a widespread crackdown. She has since gained fame, interviewing a host of Western leaders.

Her husband’s trial was closed to the public, and lawyers were forbidden to reveal the details of the case.

In July, a Belarusian court sentenced former presidential candidate Victor Papariko to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption, charges he denied. In September, Maria Kolesnikova, one of the leaders of last year’s mass street protests against Lukashenko, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Over the past year, more than 35,000 people have been arbitrarily arrested and tens of thousands of Belarusians have fled abroad for fear of repression, said UN Special Rapporteur, Anis Marin.

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