Former Belarusian Presidential Candidate Tsikhanouskaya Sentenced to 15 Years in Absentia

Today, verdicts have been delivered in the case of members of the Belarusian opposition's coordinating council in Minsk, with former presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya sentenced to 15 years in absentia.

“The Minsk City Court has sentenced Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to 15 years in a penal colony,” reported the state agency BELTA. Tsikhanouskaya is required to serve her sentence in a correctional facility as per the court's decision.

The opposition deemed the results of the August 9, 2020 elections to be falsified. Mass protests have continued in the country for about six months. Demonstrators have called for the resignation of Alexander Lukashenko, the release of political prisoners, and the holding of new elections.

A number of EU countries recognize Tsikhanouskaya as the leader of Belarusian opposition forces.

The Belarusian State Security Committee has included Tsikhanouskaya, along with Pavel Latushka, a member of the opposition's coordinating council, and 15 other Belarusian citizens, on its list of organizations and individuals involved in terrorism.