HOMEL, Belarus -- A court in Belarus has handed lengthy prison terms to 10 activists of the Rabochy rukh (Workers' Movement) on charges of high treason and creation of an extremist group.
The Workers' Movement was created in 2020 amid nationwide protests against official results of the presidential election that handed victory to strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run the country with an iron fist since 1994. The opposition says the vote was rigged.
The Homel regional court in the country's southeast on February 17 sentenced Alyaksandr Kapshul and Uladzimer Zhurauka to 15 years in prison each; Syarhey Shelest, Andrey Paheryla, and Alyaksandr Hashnikau to 14 years in prison each; Syarhey Dzyuba, Ihar Mints, Valyantsin Tseranevich, and Syarhey Shametska to 12 year in prison each; and Hanna Ablab, the only woman in the group, to 11 years in prison.
The Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
All defendants were found guilty of high treason, creating an extremist group, and taking part in its activities. Kapshul was also convicted of illegal use of a firearm, while Shelest, Zhurauka, and Paheryla were additionally found guilty of slander.
All members of the group, whose trial began on November 9, pleaded not guilty.
The movement tried to organize strikes at two major plants in the Homel region -- Hrodna Azot, a state-run producer of nitrogen compounds and fertilizers, and the Belarusian Steel Works (BMZ).
Investigators claim the activists collected sensitive information and passed it to representatives and organizations of foreign countries, including the United States and Lithuania.
Lukashenka, 68, has tightened his grip on the country since the August 2020 election by arresting -- sometimes violently -- tens of thousands of people. Fearing for their safety, most opposition members have fled the country.
The West has refused to recognize the results of the election and does not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader. Many countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions against his regime in response to the suppression of dissent in the country.
