A Belarusian court has sentenced three members of the opposition United Civic Party (AGP) for participating in a protest march days after an August 2020 presidential election that handed authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term in power despite widespread belief that the vote was rigged.
Artur Smalyakov and Diana Chernushyna were handed sentences of two years by a court for the Frunzensky district of Minsk on October 31, while Andrus Asmaloskyi was given three years. All three were accused of organizing and preparing activities that "grossly violated" public order or actively participating in such activities.
At least 100,000 people participated in the rally on August 23, 2020, against the election results and a brutal police crackdown that started shortly after Lukashenka was declared the winner.
Security forces dealt with the protests with the sometimes violent detention of tens of thousands of people.
Much of the opposition leadership since the election has been jailed or forced into exile. Several protesters have been killed and there have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown.
Belarusian authorities have also shut down several nongovernmental organizations and independent media outlets.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote and imposed several rounds of sanctions on him and his regime, citing election fraud and the police crackdown.
