Belarus: Opposition leader Tikhanovsky jailed for 18 years over protests

A Belarusian opposition leader who rallied mass protests against disputed leader Alexander Lukashenko has been jailed in a trial condemned as a sham.

Sergei Tikhanovsky was convicted of organising riots among other charges and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

He planned to challenge Mr Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election, but was detained before the vote.

His wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, took on Mr Lukashenko, who claimed victory in the widely discredited poll.

She claimed victory herself in the August election but, fearing for her safety, was forced into exile with her children the next day.

On Tuesday, Ms Tikhanovskaya questioned the validity of the court that tried her husband and said any sentence given to him would be "unacceptable".

"I will keep defending the person I love and who became the leader of millions of Belarusians," Ms Tikhanovskaya said in a video posted to Twitter.