The Minsk Regional Court in Belarus has sentenced Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova to 11 years in prison on Monday for her role in protests after last year’s disputed elections in Belarus, according to State media. Lawyer and fellow opposition activist Maxim Znak was also handed a 10-year sentence.
According to TASS news agency, Znak and Kolesnikova were found guilty of conspiring to seize power by using unconstitutional means, creating and leading an extremist organization, publicly calling for the seizure of power and conducting other actions aimed at undermining Belarus’ national security, including appeals to a foreign country and foreign and international organizations through media outlets and the Internet.
Kolesnikova, 39, is the only major leader of last year’s mass protests against Alexander Lukashenko was abducted by the Belarusian KGB in Minsk in early September 2020.
Government officials attempted to deport her about a month after the protests started, but she tore up her passport at the Ukrainian border, rather than be forced to leave the country.
Election officials said Lukashenko won 80 per cent of the vote, clearing the way for his sixth term in office. Many of his opponents were jailed in the lead-up to the vote.
A video from inside the courtroom showed the handcuffed pair grinning in the defendant’s cage ahead of the ruling.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
