A former Olympic swimmer and a political activist were sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison by a Belarusian court on Monday for their role in protesting Alexander Lukashenko’s authoritarian regime.
Champion swimmer Aliaksandra Herasimenia and political activist Alexander Opeykin were found guilty of actions aimed at “causing harm to the national security of Belarus,” according to the state-run BelTA news agency.
“From August, 2020 to May 20, 2022, through the media and the…