Belarusian authorities add the creators of the Nexta Live opposition Telegram channel, which mobilized protesters during the country’s ongoing post-election rallies, to a list of terrorists.
Protests in the ex-Soviet country broke out in early August after strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko won a disputed reelection for a sixth term. The opposition believe political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was the true winner of the election and demand Lukashenko’s resignation.
Nexta Live — a Telegram channel with more than 1.7 million subscribers — has helped coordinate the mass demonstrations that have been ongoing for over three months.
Nexta founder Stepan Putilo, 22, and 25-year-old Roman Protasevich, who until recently was the channel’s editor, appeared on the Belarus KGB list of “individuals involved in terrorist activity” when it was updated Wednesday.
According to the document available online, Putilo and Protasevich were included on the list based on earlier charges of causing mass unrest, an offense that can lead to up to 15 years of imprisonment.
— AFP
Protesters with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/TUT.by)
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