Belarusian opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. The court found him guilty of organizing mass protests and riots. According to the Belarusian state news agency Belta, the verdict was announced in a court in the city of Gomel on Tuesday. Along with Tikhanovsky, three other opposition figures - Mikola Statkevich, Igor Losik and Vladimir Tsiganovich - were sentenced to prison.
Sergei Tikhanovsky was arrested in March 2020 before the presidential election in Belarus. After Tikhanovsky was arrested, his wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, decided to run for office. According to official figures, Alexander Lukashenko has won the election, but the opposition, international organizations and Western leaders have accused him of rigging the process. Most European countries do not recognize Lukashenko as President of Belarus.
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