STRASBOURG, 4 June 2024 – The Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe (ASPS) today expressed outrage over the in absentia sentencing of 20 Belarusian political analysts by a court in Minsk on fabricated charges of conspiracy and extremism during and after the highly controversial and disputed 2020 re-election campaign of Alexander Lukashenko.

The imprisonment of opposition candidates triggered widespread demonstrations, during which thousands of people (described by Lukashenko as “rats controlled by foreign powers”) were arrested and/or injured in clashes with the police.

The collective trial of Alexander Dabravolski and other associates of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, including journalists and politicians, represents a flagrant violation of the rule of law and fundamental European values, the ASPS stated.

Several of the defendants are alumni of the Belarusian School of Political Studies who have been committed to promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law in their country. The decision to hold these individuals responsible for crimes of an extremist nature simply because they defended their rights and/or carried out their professional activities represents a complete travesty of justice. Although Alexander Lukashenko’s regime has released five of approximately 1,400 political prisoners, it continues to persecute opposition activists and independent voices.

Calling on the Council of Europe and the European Union to take coordinated action, the ASPS stated that Europe cannot stand by silently while its values are being undermined and those who defend them are being condemned as ordinary criminals.