A court in Belarus has sentenced opposition leader Syarhei Tsikhanouski to 18 years in prison for inciting and organizing unrest, the state-run Belta news agency reported Tuesday.

Tsikhanouski has been in custody since 2020. He was arrested ahead of elections in which he planned to challenge President Alexander Lukashenko.

Tsikhanouski’s wife entered the election in his place. The opposition says the result, which gave Lukashenko a new term, was rigged and there were mass protests following the election.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters. 

 
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