has been in the news alot recently, it s accused of pushing thousands migrants towards its border with poland which is in the eu belarus, isn t. at the centre of that row is alexander lukashenko he s been the belarussian president since 199a. and last year he faced huge protests following an election that kept him in power. which many most recent re election to the position in 2020 was fiercly disputed by many of his own citizens. thousands marched on the streets of minsk labelling the election fraudulent. repression of political opposition intensified after the result. but it wasnt a new phenomenon. the sentence was handed down in closed court. it s the latest move against those who disputed the re election the sentence was handed down in closed court. this footage was broadcast by belarusian state media, showing mr tikhan ovsky entering court. he s a blogger and a youtuber who was critical of the government one the 6th of may 2020, a colleague on his channel posted this video