Another trial against the Belarusian opposition figure Sergey Tikhanovsky is beginning near Minsk. What is the Lukashenko regime accusing him of and what penalties does the video blogger face?
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya shows a photo of her husband Sergei Tikhanovsky
Another trial against the Belarusian video blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky begins in Zhodino, Minsk region, on Tuesday. The husband of ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tichanovskaya had already been sentenced to 18 years in prison in December 2021 and was later recognized as a political prisoner by human rights activists. Now he is accused of repeated disobedience to prison guards. He faces two more years in prison if found guilty.
A blogger who wanted to be President
It came as a surprise to many when Sergei Tikhanovsky entered the political arena in Belarus in 2020. Until then, he was only known to a small circle of politically active Belarusians with his YouTube channel “A Country to Live In”. Tichanowski traveled through the country with a small team and told videos about the problems ordinary citizens in the province are struggling with. Without any censorship, the people in front of the camera could express their opinion.
Then, on May 7, 2020, a video appeared in which Tikhanovsky announced his candidacy in the presidential elections. At the same time, he was already serving administrative detention, because the regime of ruler Alexander Lukashenko was a thorn in the side of the blogger's growing popularity. Consequently, under these circumstances, Tihanovsky could not sign the documents that had to be submitted to the Central Election Commission for admission as a presidential candidate.
“A country to live in” – Supporters of Sergei Tikhanovsky demonstrate for his release in August 2020
For this reason, his wife Svetlana Tichanovskaya submitted her application as a presidential candidate. She was admitted. At that time nobody seriously expected that so many Belarusians would vote for the unknown woman. According to sociologists, a large majority of opposition voters voted for her on the basis of “vote for Tikhanovskaya because she is against Lukashenko”.
On May 29, 2020, after serving his administrative detention, Tihanovsky was arrested in Grodno during a petition for the nomination of his wife as a presidential candidate. A scuffle with a police officer was staged, which was used for criminal proceedings for assault. Later, Tikhanovsky was also accused of organizing protests and riots, inciting hatred and obstructing the work of the Central Electoral Commission.
How Tikhanovsky met Lukashenko
Following the August 2020 elections, which were followed by mass demonstrations over electoral fraud and the regime's brutal repression of the opposition, Lukashenko met with jailed opposition figures in October 2020 amid ongoing protests. Among them was Sergei Tikhanovsky. As eyewitnesses and state television reported, Tichanowski was self-confident towards the Belarusian ruler, even using his first-name terms and asking critical questions. He criticized how one could have a dialogue at all when representatives of one of the sides were behind bars.
The ruler Alexander Lukashenko has governed Belarus since 1994
“Tichanovsky remained true to himself,” lawyer Ilya Salej told the Belarusian newspaper “Nascha Niwa” at the time. At the meeting, he wanted to know why the police had foisted millions of dollars on him during a house search, which was the reason for the administrative detention at the time. Alexander Lukashenko then reprimanded him that he should “not interrupt the President”. Tikhanovsky replied that his wife was the elected president of the country. “Then ask your wife for release,” Lukashenko replied.
Increasingly harsh prison conditions for members of the opposition
Tihanovsky's trial began on June 24, 2021. To keep his supporters and the press away, it was held behind closed doors in a pre-trial detention center in Gomel. By that time, Tichanowski's lawyer had already had his license revoked. On December 14, 2021, the blogger was found guilty of, among other things, organizing mass riots and inciting social hatred and sentenced to 18 years of strict imprisonment in a maximum security prison.
Tikhanovsky is in a prison near Mogilev. It's known for putting political prisoners in a punishment cell first. According to human rights activists, Tichanowski shows how prisoners are put under pressure. For example, provocateurs were housed in the blogger's cell. In addition, Tichanowski's conversations with his lawyer were bugged.
Belarus: 18 years in prison for Sergei Tichanowski
Because of alleged violations of order in prison, Tichanowski was sentenced to ever harsher prison conditions and also transferred to a solitary cell. According to human rights activists, a well-known pattern is always used: criminal proceedings under Article 411 of the Criminal Code for malicious disobedience to prison staff.
“For one and the same violation, a prisoner can face either detention in a punishment cell or harsher prison conditions or an additional sentence of up to two years in prison,” explains Pavel Sapelko, a lawyer at the Belarusian human rights center “Vyazna” (in English: spring). The latter Tichanowski should now be imminent. His wife Svetlana says: “Sergei will remain a charismatic and intelligent leader no matter how many years in prison he is given.”
Adaptation from Russian: Markian Ostapchuk