Belarus jails husband of opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya for 18 years
ABC News
Belarus court sentenced Sergey Tikhanovsky, husband of opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, to 18 years in prison.
A court in Belarus has sentenced the husband of the leader of the country's pro-democracy movement, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, to 18 years in prison, convicting him in a closed-door trial widely condemned as revenge for challenging authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Sergey Tikhanovsky was jailed on Tuesday along with five other opposition activists who all received lengthy sentences -- from 14 to 16 years in maximum security prisons -- after they were found guilty of inciting mass unrest and social hatred.
Tikhanovsky, 43, was a popular video blogger who built a following by travelling the country, pointing out problems and criticizing Lukashenko's rule. Last year, he sought to run against Lukashenko in a presidential election, but authorities blocked Tikhanovsky from the ballot and arrested him, prompting Svetlana to take his place.
She then found herself at the head of the huge protest movement that erupted against Lukashenko following the election in August and briefly seemed close to toppling him. Tikhanovskaya was forced into exile in neighboring Lithuania, and her husband remained behind bars as Lukashenko regained his grip through intense repression.
