Thousands convicted in Belarus during sweeping crackdown on dissent

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (Pavel Bednyakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via 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 country’s leading human rights group said on Monday.

The Viasna human rights centre said that at least 4,690 people have been convicted on politically motivated charges since the August 2020 presidential election fuelled major protests to which the authorities responded with brutal repressions.