Very heavy prison sentences were pronounced in Belarus on Tuesday, December 14, against several detractors of the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. The husband of opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya receives 18 years in prison. Five other co-defendants are sentenced to terms ranging from 14 to 16 years.
The man who tried to challenge Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election of August 2020, which had previously launched a campaign against him entitled “Stop the cockroach” and whose wife took the head of the opposition, receives the heaviest sentence, in this trial behind closed doors .
Sergei Tikhanovsky, 43, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, he was on trial for “organizing massive disturbances”, “inciting hatred in society”, “disturbing public order” and “obstructing the Commission. electoral ”.
Charges that Sergei Tikhanovsky had described as ” imaginary and politically motivated », In a letter to the Deutsche Welle. From his cage, alongside the other co-defendants, the blogger listened to the statement of judgment, turning his back on the magistrates.
Target the strongest opponents
Another major figure of the opposition – Mikola Statkevich, 65 – is sentenced to 14 years in prison. In politics since the 1990s, presidential candidate in 2010, he has already spent several years in prison.
Artiom Sakov and Dmitri Popov, who worked for Sergei Tikhanovsky, are sentenced to 16 years in prison. Finally, Vladimir Tsyganovitch, a critic of power, and Igor Lossik, a 29-year-old opposition journalist, receive a 15-year prison sentence.
Traveling to Brussels, Svetlana Tikhanovskaia believes that with these sentences, Alexander Lukashenko ” publicly takes revenge on its strongest opponents “.
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Convictions as revenge
A few months ago, the Belarusian courts had already condemned the former banker and presidential candidate, Viktor babaryko, to 14 years in prison.
Victor Babaryko personified the electorate of the intelligentsia, the business world, the rich and the middle class, while Sergei Tikhanovsky represented the electorate through which Alexander M. Lukashenko came to power: the popular, working classes, more poor, says Pavel Slunkin, a former Belarusian diplomat and political scientist.
According to the latter, Mr. Tikhanovski “ had a fairly populist rhetoric. He is a fairly tough man, who was not shy about, for example, comparing Alexander Lukashenko to a cockroach. “. And in this sense, he analyzes, his condemnation ” like that of Victor Babaryko, it is obviously a revenge. The number of years of condemnation is of course shocking, but it cannot be said that it is astonishing. “
Pavel Slunkin considers that it was expected enough that the authorities would want to show what the price was to pay for those who challenged him: ” It’s a kind of public execution, an attempt to show that people who go against the will of power will be punished just as severely. », He considers.
Condemnations singled out by Washington and the EU
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, demanded on Tuesday the end of the ” harsh repression Ongoing in Belarus. ” None of these individuals, nor the Belarusian people, deserve such harsh repression. Antony Blinken said in a statement. ” These sentences unfortunately once again show the Belarusian regime’s contempt for its international obligations as well as for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Belarusians. Added the US Secretary of State.
The European Union denounced the sentences ” unfounded ” and ” severe “Inflicted on these opposition figures in Belarus, and is considering new sanctions, announced the spokesman for the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell. ” These sentences are further examples of unfounded accusations against Belarusian citizens who exercised their right of expression and demanded free and fair elections. “, Believes this spokesperson, Peter Stano, in a press release.
” These sentences are part of the brutal and systematic repression of all independent voices in Belarus », Lamented the European spokesperson. ” The EU strongly condemns these flagrant and continuing violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Minsk regime “, he added. “ In view of the continued deterioration of human rights violations and repression in Belarus, the EU remains determined to consider further sanctions “, Also argued Peter Stano.