(ANSA) - MOSCOW, MARCH 05 - The Belarusian prosecutor's office announced that it had requested the extradition of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, considered the main opponent of the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko and in fact forced into exile in Lithuania.
The Belarusian authorities accuse her of "crimes against the functioning of institutions, public security and the state".
In recent days, Belarusian investigators have accused her of planning with her allies to incite riots and take control of government buildings in Gomel.
Tikhanovskaya, who last August had run for president in place of her husband who ended up in prison like many other dissidents, firmly rejects the charges that arise from riots.
Lukashenko officially won the August elections with 80% of the votes, but this result appears to many observers as a result of massive electoral fraud and tens of thousands of people took to the streets in recent months demanding the resignations of the head of state.
The regime cracked down on the protests with waves of arrests and baton strikes, and the police are also accused of torturing protesters.
(HANDLE).
