The Belarusian court sentenced opposition leader Valery Tsepkala in absentia to 17 years in prison on a number of articles, including for creating an "extremist formation."
In 2020, the ex-director of the Hi-Tech Park Tsepkalo, who criticized Alexander Lukashenko and was going to participate in the presidential elections, left the country for fear of arrest. He told the Rain about this.
According to Tsepkalo, he received information about the upcoming arrest. To avoid persecution, he left for Russia with his two children.
Later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus stated that the department had received materials about the “facts of illegal activities” of Tsepkalo.