Belarus sentences human rights activist to decade in jail

A Belarusian court charged 2022 Nobel Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and three other top figures of the human rights group Viasna Human Rights Centre with smuggling, financial violations, and violating public order. Bialiatski had been in jail for nearly two years before his sentencing on Friday. Bialiatski and the three others have maintained their innocence. The trial was held behind closed doors, leading to outrage from western leaders—German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the trial and sentencing a “farce.” 

What happened during the protests? In 2020, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko’s election. They were protesting Lukashenko ruling for a sixth term in an election that Human Rights Watch said was marred by fraud. More than 35,000 people were arrested before and after the protests, according to the United Nations. Thousands were beaten and subject to other ill-treatment. Bialiatski’s organization worked to free protesters in the aftermath. 

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Julia A. Seymour’s report in World Tour on Lukashenko’s election.