Tsihanouskaja was accused of several crimes, including treason. The trial has been widely condemned in the West.
Belarus opposition leader Svyatlana Tsihanouskaya has been sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison, according to the Belarusian news agency Belta, according to Reuters.
The news agencies AFP and Tass also report on the court’s decision.
The verdict was given in absentia because Tsihanouskaja has been living in exile in Lithuania since the 2020 presidential election.
It was reported last weekthat Belarusian prosecutors had demanded that the courts sentence Tsihanouskaja to 19 years in prison.
Tsihanouskaja was accused of several crimes, including treason.
The trial, described as unfair, has been widely condemned in the West. Tsihanouskaja herself described it as a “farce” and a “theatrical performance”. The trial began in January.
Tsihanouskaja was the opposition’s presidential candidate in the 2020 presidential elections, which, among other things, according to the EU, were not fair or free.
The country’s autocratic leader was declared the winner of the election Alexander Lukashenkowho has forced his country’s opposition and its supporters into a tight spot with violence.
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