A Belarusian court has sentenced Sergei Tikhanovsky, an opposition presidential candidate who was jailed ahead of last year’s disputed election, to 18 years in a maximum-security prison
Tikhanovsky, 43, is a popular YouTube blogger who criticized strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko and helped galvanize last year’s protests against his rule. Authorities accused him of using his blog to promote the violent overthrow of the Belarusian government.
Following a months-long trial behind closed doors at a detention centre in the southeastern city of Gomel, the court found Tikhanovsky, 43, guilty of organising riots and inciting social hatred, among other charges, state newspaper Sovetskaya Belarus reported.
The court also handed down lengthy sentences to several of Tikhanovsky’s associates. Dmitry Popov, a Russian citizen who acted as social media manager for Tikhanovsky’s YouTube channel Country for Life, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
