TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian court on Thursday opened the trial of jailed human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

Bialiatski and two other top figures of the Viasna human rights center which he founded face up to 12 years in prison if convicted on charges of financing anti-government protests.

They were arrested in the wake of massive protests that gripped the country after a 2020 election that gave authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko a new term in office. Lukashenko, in office since 1994, has suppressed opposition and cracked down on independent news media.

The 2020 protests persisted for several months, the largest wave of protest to hit Belarus, and authorities took harsh action. More than 35,000 people were arrested and thousands were beaten by police.

The charges in the trial are connected to Viasna's providing money to political prisoners and helping pay their legal fees.

“This is a political trial for a Nobel laureate, which has nothing to do with law,” Viasna lawyer Pavel Sapelko told The Associated Press.

Bialiatski was not able to attend December's Nobel awards ceremony; his wife gave an address on his behalf.

He shared the peace prize with Russian human rights organization Memorial and Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties.