MINSK, December 14. /TASS/. The Gomel Regional Court sentenced Belarusian blogger Sergey Tikhanovsky, the spouse of former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, to 18 years in jail on charges of preparing to organize mass riots, Alina Suleiko, a spokeswoman for the court, told TASS on Tuesday.
"Tikhanovsky was sentenced to 18 years of incarceration and will serve the term in a reinforced-security prison," she said.
His associates, Artyom Sakov and Dmitry Popov, were sentenced to 16 years in jail, while opposition activist Nikolay Statkevich to 14 years. Defendants Igor Losik and Vladimir Tsyganovich were given 15 years in prison.
The ruling may be appealed at the Supreme Court of Belarus. A representative of Tikhanovsky’s defense said an appeal will follow.
The Gomel court started hearings of the case of Tikhanovsky and his associates, who were accused of preparing to stage riots before and during presidential elections, on June 24. Tikhanovsky, Sakov and Popov were charged with organizing riots in Belarus in 2020, dissemination of materials directed at inciting hatred toward government officials and law enforcement agents, and obstructing the work of the Central Elections Commission. They were also charged with violent disturbance of public peace coupled with violence against government officials.
Statkevich was charged with organizing riots. Losik and Tsyganovich were charged with inciting socially-motivated hatred and discord, and organizing mass riots.
Belarusian Prosecutor General’s Office earlier said that the crimes committed by Tikhanovsky and his associates inflicted damages to the state worth more than three million Belarusian rubles (more than $1 million).