Belarus puts exiled opposition leader on trial on treason charges

FILE PHOTO: Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya attends a debate of The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) in Helsinki, Finland, December 13, 2022. Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Belarus put exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on trial in absentia on treason charges on Tuesday, in what the outspoken critic of veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko said would be a "farce and a show".

Tsikhanouskaya, 40, fled Belarus after running against Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election which was followed by mass protests over alleged electoral fraud. She faces a possible jail term of up to 15 years.