Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visits Finland
Tue, January 17, 2023
By Tom Balmforth and John Irish
(Reuters) - Belarus put exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on trial in absentia on treason charges on Tuesday, in what the outspoken critic of veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko said would be a "farce and a show".
Tsikhanouskaya, 40, fled Belarus after running against Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election which was followed by mass protests over alleged electoral fraud. She faces a possible jail term of up to 15 years.
Following a crackdown on protesters, she became the head of an opposition-in-exile and denounced the election after Lukashenko, in power since 1994, declared himself the winner.
Tsikhanouskaya, who now lives in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, told Reuters in the Swiss resort of Davos that she did not expect the trial to be fair.
"In Belarus there are no honest trials. We live in absolute lawlessness in our country so tomorrow's trial will be a farce and a show but not real justice," Tsikhanouskaya said on Monday in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.
She said she had asked for the necessary documents from the court-appointed lawyer, but had not received anything.
The BelTa state news agency said the trial had started on Tuesday morning. Tsikhanouskaya and several others were to be tried on charges of treason and attempting to seize power, the court said before the trial.
"Tsikhanouskaya, while on the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, proclaimed herself the winner of the last election... and the only national leader elected by the Belarusian people," the General Prosecutor's Office said.
A day before the trial was due to begin, Belarus brought new criminal charges against Tsikhanouskaya's jailed husband, a 44-year-old video blogger, who was arrested in 2020 while attempting to run for office against Lukashenko himself.
His arrest prompted Tsikhanouskaya to run for office in his place despite having no public profile, and she was allowed onto the ballot.
Rights activists estimate about 1,500 people are in jail in Belarus on politically motivated charges. Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia who has been in power since 1994, is a pariah in the West and a close ally of Russia.
Belarus also put rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski, and two others, on trial this month on charges of financing protests and smuggling money. They could face from seven to 12 years in jail on charges of financing protests and smuggling money.
(Reporting by Tom Balmforth in Kyiv and John Irish in Davos; Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Belarus brings new charges against opposition leader's jailed husband
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya leads Vilnius march
Mon, January 16, 2023
(Reuters) - Belarus brought new criminal charges against the jailed husband of the exiled opposition leader on Monday, accusing him of violating prison rules while serving an 18-year sentence, investigators said.
Syarhei Tsikhanouski, a 44-year-old video blogger who was arrested during an attempt to run for president against veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko in 2020, could have another two years added to his jail term under the new charges.
He rose to prominence in Belarus after comparing Lukashenko to a moustachioed cockroach from a children's fairy tale and was arrested before the 2020 presidential vote that sparked mass protests when Lukashenko claimed victory despite allegations of electoral fraud.
Tsikhanouski was convicted in December 2021 on charges of organising mass unrest and fuelling social enmity.
His wife, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, fled to Lithuania to escape the sweeping post-election crackdown that crushed the protests.
Tsikhanouski's lawyer could not be reached for comment about the new charges on Monday.
In a statement, the Investigative Committee, a law enforcement agency, accused Tsikhanouski of "provoking conflicts" in prison, including with his cell mates, and of systematically disobeying orders.
Rights activists estimate about 1,500 people are in jail in Belarus on politically motivated charges. Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, is a pariah in the West and a close ally of Russia.
(Writing by Tom Balmforth, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Belarus opposition leader denounces her trial as 'farce'
Adam PLOWRIGHT
Mon, January 16, 2023
Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called her trial in absentia, set to start on Tuesday, a "farce" and "revenge" from President Alexander Lukashenko, saying she had not been given access to court documents.
"These trials are not trials at all. It's a show, it's farce, but it has nothing to do with justice at all," Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania, told AFP at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday.
"It's personal revenge of Lukashenko and his cronies, but not only against me, but other people who are opposing him," she said.
Faced with "about ten charges" including high treason and conspiracy to seize power, the 40-year-old said she had contacted her court-appointed lawyer, but he never replied.
"I don't even know what my so-called lawyer will be doing tomorrow in this court, how he's going to defend me," she added.
"I don't know how long this trial will take place, how many days, but I'm sure they will sentence me to many, many years in jail."
Lukashenko's regime has prosecuted and jailed a growing number of opposition figures, journalists and activists since mass protests in 2020.
- 'Bluffing' -
Tikhanovskaya also dismissed joint air force drills on Monday between Russia and Belarus as the latest "bluffing" from Lukashenko.
The authoritarian leader allowed his military and financial backer Russia to use Belarussian territory to stage attacks on Ukraine last February, but did not send his own troops.
"I would call it bluffing or a show for the Belarussian people," Tikhanovskaya said of the latest exercises.
"First of all to threaten them, to say 'look the Russian army is here, so sit quietly, don't oppose anything'."
She said the other purpose was "attracting the attention of Ukrainian soldiers from hotspots in eastern part (of Ukraine) to the Belarussian borders."
She added: "Ukrainians are prepared for possible land attacks. They mined a lot of kilometres of border and I think it's impossible to again invade Ukraine (from Belarus)."
Tikhanovskaya, who claimed victory in contested 2020 presidential election, said she was the first Belarussian to attend the World Economic Forum since 1992 -- two years before Lukashenko came to power.
"It's a huge honour for us because for (almost) 30 years, Belarus was like a black hole on the map of Europe. Nobody was interested a lot with what was going on there. We were considered as an appendix of Russia. We didn't have our voice," she said.
adp/rox
"These trials are not trials at all. It's a show, it's farce, but it has nothing to do with justice at all," Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania, told AFP at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday.
"It's personal revenge of Lukashenko and his cronies, but not only against me, but other people who are opposing him," she said.
Faced with "about ten charges" including high treason and conspiracy to seize power, the 40-year-old said she had contacted her court-appointed lawyer, but he never replied.
"I don't even know what my so-called lawyer will be doing tomorrow in this court, how he's going to defend me," she added.
"I don't know how long this trial will take place, how many days, but I'm sure they will sentence me to many, many years in jail."
Lukashenko's regime has prosecuted and jailed a growing number of opposition figures, journalists and activists since mass protests in 2020.
- 'Bluffing' -
Tikhanovskaya also dismissed joint air force drills on Monday between Russia and Belarus as the latest "bluffing" from Lukashenko.
The authoritarian leader allowed his military and financial backer Russia to use Belarussian territory to stage attacks on Ukraine last February, but did not send his own troops.
"I would call it bluffing or a show for the Belarussian people," Tikhanovskaya said of the latest exercises.
"First of all to threaten them, to say 'look the Russian army is here, so sit quietly, don't oppose anything'."
She said the other purpose was "attracting the attention of Ukrainian soldiers from hotspots in eastern part (of Ukraine) to the Belarussian borders."
She added: "Ukrainians are prepared for possible land attacks. They mined a lot of kilometres of border and I think it's impossible to again invade Ukraine (from Belarus)."
Tikhanovskaya, who claimed victory in contested 2020 presidential election, said she was the first Belarussian to attend the World Economic Forum since 1992 -- two years before Lukashenko came to power.
"It's a huge honour for us because for (almost) 30 years, Belarus was like a black hole on the map of Europe. Nobody was interested a lot with what was going on there. We were considered as an appendix of Russia. We didn't have our voice," she said.
adp/rox
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