Belarus opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky jailed for 18 years
- Tikhanovsky’s wife and self-exiled activist Svetlana denounced the verdict, which found him guilty of organising riots and inciting social hatred
- A high-profile co-defendant in the case, veteran politician Mikola Statkevich, was sentenced to 14 years in prison
Following a months-long trial behind closed doors at a detention centre in the southeastern city of Gomel, the court found Tikhanovsky, 43, guilty of organising riots and inciting social hatred, among other charges, state newspaper Sovetskaya Belarus reported.
Tikhanovsky’s wife, self-exiled Belarus democracy icon Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, denounced the verdict.
“The dictator publicly takes revenge on his strongest opponents,” she wrote on Twitter after her husband was handed the sentence.
“While hiding the political prisoners in closed trials, he hopes to continue repressions in silence. But the whole world watches. We won’t stop,” she added in English.
One of Tikhanovsky’s five co-defendants in the high-profile case, veteran politician Mikola Statkevich, 65, was sentenced to 14 years.
