On 8 July, Olga Karach was one of five Belorussian oppositionists sentenced (in their absence) to 12 years in prison. The charges included ‘conspiracy to seize power by unconstitutional means’, ‘promotion of extremist activity’ and ‘discrediting the Republic of Belarus’.
Olga is known to PN readers for her human rights and anti-conscription work with the international centre for civil initiatives, Nash Dom (‘Our House’). She lives in exile in Lithuania, which has denied her application for asylum.
Olga was also fined €170,000 for her ‘crimes’. The fines for Vadzim Dzmitrenak, Anatoly Kotau, Veranika Tsepkala and Yauhen Vilsky were mostly lower.
Topics: Conscientious objection, Human rights