Four confidants of the former presidential candidate of Belarus Svetlana Tikhanovskaya hatched a plan to seize Gomel. This accusation was made by the Investigative Committee (IC) of the republic.
The information was obtained during the investigation of the criminal case of Sergei Tikhanovskaya’s husband. After that, the materials separated the case into a separate proceeding. As stated in the Investigative Committee of Belarus, in order to implement the plan, Tikhanovskaya’s associates were looking for applicants among the military personnel, employees of the internal affairs bodies and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The investigation claims that plans to seize Gomel’s administrative buildings were discussed at a meeting on August 5, 2020, and Tikhanovskaya herself was present, who supported these intentions and agreed to allocate money for the purchase of weapons and items “to commit this crime.” >
Earlier, the Investigative Committee of Belarus reported that it had submitted to the General Prosecutor’s Office all the necessary documents to demand from Lithuania the extradition of Tikhanovskaya.
On December 21, 2020, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus opened a criminal case against Tikhanovskaya and other oppositionists on the creation of an extremist group. Prior to that, proceedings were instituted on the fact of the activities of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is the wife of the popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, who is under arrest. In the presidential elections on August 9 last year, according to official estimates, she received 10 percent of the vote, and Alexander Lukashenko, who ran for a sixth term, received 80 percent. The official results sparked massive protests across Belarus that continue to this day. Tikhanovskaya herself left for Lithuania.