MINSK -- Belarusian prosecutors have asked a court in Minsk to convict and sentence to lengthy prison terms noted human rights defender Marfa Rabkova and nine other activists for allegedly having roles in organizing anti-government protests in a case seen by many as politically motivated.
One of the defendants in the case, Akikhira Hayeuski-Khanada, said in a letter that was published on the Pisma Solidarnosti (Letters of Solidarity) group's Facebook account that prosecutors are seeking 15 years in prison for Rabkova.
According to the letter, the prosecutors asked the court to convict and sentence other defendants -- Alyaksandr Frantskevich, Hayeuski-Khanada, Alyaksey Halauko, Paval Shpetny, Alyaksandr Kazlyanka, Andrey Chapyuk, Mikita Dranets, Andrey Marach, and Danil Chulya to between five years and 17 years in prison.
The activists' trial, which started in April, is being held behind closed doors.
In all, Rabkova faces an array of 13 charges for allegedly organizing and encouraging activities that violated civil order, publicly calling for activities that threatened national security, creating an extremist formation, running an extremist organization, inciting social hatred, hooliganism, vandalism, damaging private property, and for illegal activities with the use of explosives.
Other defendants face similar charges.
Rabkova, who has rejected all of the allegations saying they are politically motivated, was arrested in September 2020 and initially charged with helping prepare mass disorder, a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
While Rabkova was under arrest, she was diagnosed with COVID-19 twice. She was not allowed to attend the burials of her father and grandmother, who died while she was in custody.
Before her arrest in September 2020, Rabkova, along with other activists and volunteers of the Vyasna (Spring) human rights center monitored mass rallies against the official results of August 2020 presidential poll that handed a sixth term in office to authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Rabkova was also involved in documenting police brutality and violations of demonstrators' rights after their arrests.
Police in Belarus have violently cracked down on protesters, with thousands of detentions following the disputed presidential election. There have been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment by security forces, and several people have died.
Many of Belarus's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, while Lukashenka, who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1994, has refused to negotiate with the opposition.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote, and imposed sanctions on him and his allies, citing election fraud and the police crackdown, which has also targeted press freedoms.