Supporters of ex-Belarusian presidential candidate Tikhanovskaya given prison sentences in absentia
MINSK. July 1 (Interfax) - A Belarusian court has handed down prison sentences in absentia to 20 opposition members linked to former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the press service for the Prosecutor General's Office said in a statement on Monday.
"A conviction was handed down in the criminal case opened against 20 members of the Analysts of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya extremist organization," the statement said.
Since these persons are currently outside of Belarus, their criminal case was handled under a special procedure, it said.
The court found them guilty of conspiring to seize power, participating in an extremist organization, abetting public calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of Belarus, and complicity in actions to incite social enmity and discord. Alexander Dobrovolsky implicated in the case was also convicted of leading the extremist organization and its structural division.
They received sentences ranging from ten years to 11 years and six months in prison. Dobrovolsky received the longest sentence and was ordered to pay a fine of 240,000 Belarusian rubles (around $75,800). Four other convicts were also ordered to pay fines of 40,000 Belarusian rubles ($21,600) to 1.6 million Belarusian rubles ($505,000) in addition to their prison sentences.
Tikhanovskaya ran in the Belarusian presidential election in 2020 after the Belarusian CEC denied registration to the campaign of her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was later detained and sentenced to 18 years in prison. While serving his time, Sergei Tikhanovsky was also sentenced this year to one year and six months in prison more for "maliciously disobeying requirements of the correctional facility's administration."
Official results announced by the CEC stated that Tikhanovskaya came in second with 10% of the vote. Alexander Lukashenko, who has served as president of Belarus since 1994, was declared the winner. According to the CEC, Lukashenko won 80.1% of the vote.
The opposition considered the election outcome to be rigged. Mass protests against the election outcome continued in Belarus for more than half a year. A number of EU members recognized Tikhanovskaya as the leader of Belarusian opposition forces.
The Belarusian State Security Committee included Tikhanovskaya in the list of entities and individuals involved in terrorist activity.
In March 2023, the Minsk City Court has sentenced Tikhanovskaya to 15 years in prison in absentia. The court found her guilty of plotting to seize power, establishing and leading an extremist group, making public calls for seizing power and other actions aimed at harming Belarus's national security, inciting social enmity and hatred, and high treason.