MINSK -- An activist in Belarus has been handed a two-year prison sentence for taking part in mass demonstrations to protest the results of an August 2020 election that handed victory to authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka despite opposition claims the balloting was rigged.
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.
The Zavodzki district court in Minsk on February 16 sentenced Andrey Kudzik, an activist for the opposition United Civic Party (AHP), after finding him guilty of taking part in activities that disrupt civil order. Kudzik, who has been handed multiple sentences for protesting, rejected the charge and refused to testify at the trial.
Kudzik was arrested several times and handed up to 15 days in jail for openly protesting the results, which gave the 67-year-old Lukashenka his sixth consecutive term in power.
In August 2021, he was arrested again and sentenced to 90 days in jail. After serving the sentence, authorities refused his release and instead charged Kudzik with taking part in activities that disrupted civil order.
Kudzik is one of many Belarusians who have faced multiple trials linked to mass protests against Lukashenka following the controversial presidential election.
Security forces dealt with the protests with the sometimes violent detention of tens of thousands of people. Much of the opposition leadership has been jailed or forced into exile. Several protesters have been killed and there have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown.
Belarusian authorities have also shut down several nongovernmental organizations and independent media outlets.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote and imposed several rounds of sanctions on him and his regime, citing election fraud and the police crackdown.