Exiled opposition leader vows to fight on after Belarus hands down 15-year treason sentence

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was jailed for 15 years on Monday after being convicted in absentia of treason and “conspiracy to seize power,” a verdict she said was punishment for her efforts to promote democracy.

Tsikhanouskaya, 40, a former English teacher, fled to neighboring Lithuania in 2020 after running against incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election, which official results showed Lukashenko won by a landslide.

He and the opposition say the result is destined to give victory to Lukashenko rather than himself. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for nearly 30 years, denied the claims.

Mass protests against Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, erupted as security forces cracked down, locking up opponents or forcing them to flee.

Authorities put Tsikhanouskaya, the de facto head of the opposition, on trial in absentia in January, accusing her and other opposition figures of trying to seize power.

WATCH | Tsikhanouskaya calls for more sanctions:

Canada announces more sanctions against Belarus as exiled opposition leader meets with Trudeau

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she accepts the sanctions imposed by Canada, but the mechanism is necessary to stop the regime in Belarus from encircling her.

Belta, the state news agency, said a court in Minsk had sentenced Tsikhanouskaya to 15 years in a prison camp after finding her guilty of treason and conspiracy to seize power.

The same court handed down an 18-year prison sentence to Pavel Latushko, a prominent Belarusian opposition councilor, and 12-year prison terms to three other activists convicted of being part of the same plot, Belta reported.

“I’m not surprised by the court being called,” Tsikhanouskaya told CBC News on Monday.

“It is predictable that Lukashenko will try to take revenge… I will continue my work,” he said.

Rights activists estimate that around 1,500 people are imprisoned in Belarus on political charges.

Tsikhanouskaya’s own husband, Syarhei, was jailed for 18 years after being convicted in 2021 of organizing mass riots in a decision he said was a political vendetta and part of Lukashenko’s crackdown on anyone deemed a threat.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist Ales Bialiatski was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday by a court in Minsk in a trial condemned in the West as a “sham”.

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has accused the West of trying to destroy Belarus and vowed to crush any new attempts to challenge his rule.