Belarus on Monday began the trial in absentia of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the country’s state-run Belta news agency said. 

Tsikhanouskaya fled Belarus after facing President Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential elections that drew mass protests over allegations of electoral fraud that gave Lukashenko a new term. 

Speaking to news agencies in Switzerland, Tsikhanouskaya called her trial a “farce” and said she was not given access to court documents. 

The charges against her include treason, conspiracy to seize power and leading an extremist organization. 

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters. 
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