Belarusian opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky, who is serving an 18-year sentence, has been charged with new charges. According to the Investigative Committee of Belarus, he is accused of disobedience to the administration of the prison where he is imprisoned.
In August 2022, Tikhanovsky was transferred to the prison regime, after which he was sent to the correctional institution "Prison No. 8" in the city of Zhodino. According to investigators, there he repeatedly refused to obey the demands of the employees, was rude, violated the rules of the internal order and "provoked inmates into conflicts."
Minutes of interrogations of witnesses and Tikhanovsky himself, copies of decisions on the penalties imposed on him and copies of acts on the seizure of prohibited items are attached to the case.
The oppositionist was charged under part 2 of article 411 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (malicious disobedience to the requirements of the administration of a correctional institution, committed by a person convicted of a grave and especially grave crime). The maximum penalty under this article is two years in prison.
Sergei Tikhanovsky put forward his candidacy for the presidential elections in Belarus in 2020, but the CEC refused to register him. Shortly thereafter, the oppositionist was arrested, in December 2021 he was sentenced to 18 years in prison, found guilty of organizing mass riots, inciting social hatred, obstructing the work of the Central Election Commission and violating public order.
Instead of Tikhanovsky, his wife Svetlana took part in the presidential elections. The CEC declared Alexander Lukashenko the winner, but the Belarusian opposition considered the elections rigged, and recognized Tikhanovskaya as the real winner. This led to prolonged protests of many thousands, which were brutally suppressed by the authorities. Many foreign governments also did not recognize the results of the elections in Belarus.
Tikhanovskaya left for Lithuania, where she is considered the head of the Belarusian government in exile. In Belarus, cases were initiated against her about preparing terrorist attacks and “assigning the title or power of an official.”