The trial of exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya has begun in Belarus. According to the state news agency Belta, the trial began today in the absence of the 40-year-old and four of her allies in the capital Minsk. Tichanovskaya and her co-accused are charged with high treason and “conspiracy to unconstitutionally seize power”.
Tichanovskaya, who currently lives in Lithuania, had previously described the trial to the AFP news agency as a “farce” and “personal revenge” by the authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. “I don’t even know what my so-called lawyer will do tomorrow in this court, how he will defend me,” Tikhanovskaya said. “I don’t know how long this process will take, how many days, but I’m sure they will sentence me to many, many years in prison.”
mass protests by election
Tichanovskaya ran once morest Lukashenko in the presidential election in Belarus in summer 2020. After his controversial re-election, which was not recognized by the West, Tichanovskaya sharply criticized it. Mass protests following the election were violently crushed by the ruler, who had been in power for three decades. Thousands of people were arrested or fled abroad, including Tichanovskaya.
The 40-year-old is considered the face of the Belarusian opposition, and she regularly denounces the government’s ongoing attacks. In addition to her, the opposition and activists Maria Moros, Pawel Latuschko, Olga Kovalkowa and Sergei Dylewski are also accused.
Since the protests, the Belarusian authorities have continued to crack down on critical voices. The human rights organization Vyazna currently has more than 1,400 political prisoners. The trial once morest the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Vyaznya, Ales Byalyatsky, began in Minsk at the beginning of January. The democracy activist and two fellow campaigners who are also accused face up to twelve years in prison.