Authorities in Belarus open new criminal probes against scores of opposition activists

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TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities said Tuesday that they have launched new criminal investigations against dozens of opposition activists, part of a sweeping crackdown on dissent ahead of next year's presidential vote, in which the country's authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko intends to seek a seventh term. He has already been in power for more than 30 years.

After Lukashenko's previous re-election in 2020, which was seen at home and abroad as rigged, he responded to a wave of mass protests with brutal repressions that saw more than 65,000 people detained.

About 1,300 are currently held behind bars as political prisoners, according to the Viasna human rights group, including the group’s founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.

The Investigative Committee, Belarus’ top state criminal investigation agency, announced Tuesday that it has opened new criminal inquiries against 22 opposition activists on charges of their alleged involvement in a “conspiracy to seize power” and against 23 others who are accused of creating an “extremist group” for their activities. The activists, most of whom have fled Belarus, have been slapped with confiscation of their apartments and other assets and will face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

The new criminal investigations follow the activists’ move to launch a new effort to coordinate the opposition activities ahead of next year’s presidential vote and set the stage for future democratic reforms. In August, Belarusian opposition activists also staged rallies in several countries.

Hundreds of thousands have fled the country amid the brutal crackdown on protests after the 2020 election. Viasna said that at least 66 opposition activists, who have returned to Belarus, have been convicted and sentenced on politically motivated charges. Some others have been sent to psychiatric hospitals for mandatory treatment.