Authorities in Minsk have sold a two-room apartment that belonged to opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her husband, imprisoned blogger and former presidential candidate Syarhey Tsikhanouski.
The 66-square-meter apartment in the Belarusian capital was sold for $80,740 to an unspecified winner at an auction on July 26. The apartment, which was officially confiscated by the state in September, was sold after two previous auctions were cancelled.
Tsikhanouski was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2021. Charges against him included causing mass unrest, inciting hatred, obstructing the activities of the Central Election Commission, and organizing activities that disrupt social order.
The defendants and their supporters denied these accusations, calling them politically motivated.
Popular blogger Tsikhanouski has announced his candidacy for president in 2020, challenging powerful Belarusian politician Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who was running for re-election.
Tsikhanouski was disqualified and arrested before the vote.
After Tsikhanouski's arrest, his wife announced her candidacy for the presidential elections, mobilizing the opposition. Lukashenka's landslide victory has not been recognized by the opposition and Western countries, which say he rigged the result in his own favor.