Thousands of Belarusians convicted on politically-driven charges amid sweeping crackdown on dissent

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Thousands of Belarusians have been convicted on politically-driven charges over the last three years as part of the authorities’ relentless crackdown on dissent. The Viasna human rights center said Monday that at least 4,690 people have been convicted on politically-motivated charges since the August 2020 presidential election that fueled massive protests to which the authorities responded with brutal repressions. Viasna’s representative Pavel Sapelka noted that the number of people who faced persecution on political motives could be higher as the group doesn’t know all the convicts’ names. Last month, Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko cemented his 30-year rule in tightly controlled parliamentary and local elections.