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Poland offered to impose new sanctions on Minsk because of the sentences of Tikhanovskaya and Latushko

WARSAW, March 6 – RIA Novosti. Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller told reporters that Poland is proposing to impose new sanctions on Belarus for imprisoning opposition leaders Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Pavel Latushko.

On Monday, a court in Minsk sentenced Belarusian opposition leaders Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to 15 years in absentia and Pavel Latushko to 18 years in prison.

“These trials … show that if we are talking about international sanctions, unfortunately, far-reaching measures should be taken only in relation to Belarus,” Muller said.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya - RIA Novosti, 1920, 03/06/2023

Minsk court sentenced Tikhanovskaya in absentia to 15 years in prison

He reminded that Poland recently applied to the Council of Europe with a proposal to extend the sanctions in force against Russia to Belarus.

“Furthermore, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called, through European channels, to include in sanctions all those involved in show cases in Belarus, such as prosecutors, judges and other persons who are elements of the pressure establishment on Belarusian soil lists,” he added.

Müller said: “Therefore, our response is that the EU should accept such a package of sanctions.”

Tikhanovskaya and Latushko were accused of conspiring to unconstitutionally seize state power, forming and leading an extremist formation, publicly calling for sanctions and inciting social hatred. In addition, some defendants are also accused of certain articles, for example, Tikhanovskaya is accused of treason, Latushko – corruption.

Following the presidential elections held on 9 August 2020 in Belarus, in which Alexander Lukashenko won for the sixth time, mass opposition protests took place in the country. In February 2021, the KGB of Belarus stated that the manifestations of the protests had virtually disappeared.

In Belarus, criminal cases have been brought against certain opposition leaders, including seizure of power, creation of an extremist formation, conspiracy to unconstitutionally seize state power, and attempted terrorist act. A number of representatives of the Belarusian opposition went abroad, in particular to Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. Belarusian Prosecutor General Andrei Shved said that the criminal prosecution of opposition leaders Tikhanovskaya, Latushko and others, who left after the presidential elections in the EU countries, will continue, despite not being extradited to Minsk.

Member of the Coordinating Council of the Belarusian opposition, former director of the Kupala Theater, former diplomat Pavel Latushko - RIA Novosti, 1920, 03/06/2023

Belarusian dissident Latushko sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison

Source: Ria

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