Former Leader Of Belarusian Opposition Group Detained For 2020 Election Protests

MINSK -- The former leader of the Belarusian opposition movement Malady Front (Youth Front) has been detained for taking part in the 2020 protests against the official results of a presidential election that handed a sixth presidential term to authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

The Main Directorate for the Fight Against Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) said on March 24 that Zmitser Dashkevich was detained the day before and charged with the "organization and preparation of activities that violate social order, or the participation in such activities."

Dashkevich's wife, Nastassya, told RFE/RL that her husband was taken away by police after a search of their home on March 23.

The 40-year-old Dashkevich is one of the most well-known critics of Lukashenka and his regime.

The father of three, whose wife is expecting a fourth, has already spent several years in prison on convictions in two criminal cases that rights organizations and opposition groups have called politically motivated.

The protests were met 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 the widening security crackdown.

The opposition says the election was rigged. Several western countries, including the United States, have since imposed economic and financial sanctions on Lukashenka and members of his regime over the violent repression of dissent in the country.