Belarus Sentences Exiled Opposition Leader to 20 Years in Absentia

A court in Belarus has sentenced Franak Viachorka, a top opposition figure, to 20 years in jail in absentia. Living in exile in Vilnius, Lithuania, Viachorka faced charges including treason and insulting the president. This move marks an ongoing crackdown on dissent following disputed 2020 presidential elections.

A court in Belarus has handed down a 20-year sentence in absentia to Franak Viachorka, a prominent opposition figure living in exile.

Viachorka, an advisor to opposition leader Svitalana Tsikhanouskaya, faced charges ranging from treason to insulting the president, in a trial he denounced as a 'farce.'

The sentencing is the latest chapter in Belarus' crackdown on dissent since the disputed 2020 election, which resulted in widespread protests and arrests.

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