Death threats against Kolesnikova during interrogation – Politics –

Kolesnikowa, 38, who was active in the cultural scene in the German city of Stuttgart for many years, is now in custody after being kidnapped on Monday. She is the only political prisoner so far who is supposed to answer for the attempt to take power illegally. Her lawyer Lyudmila Kasak described the accusations as an “absurd” attempt to silence those who think differently. According to the media, she faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Kolesnikova was also threatened with physical violence after her abduction by masked people in Minsk, Kasak said. The security forces took them to the border with Ukraine against their will to deport them to the neighboring country and threatened their violence. The security forces had told him: “alive or dismembered,” he wrote. Kolesnikova had broken her passport at the border crossing and prevented her deportation. She was also bruised from the violent action.

The opposition politician’s complaint, which also includes allegations of kidnapping and the threat of 25 years in prison, is directed against the KGB secret service and the special police to combat organized crime. According to her staff in Minsk, Kolesnikova names the officials who threatened her and pulled a sack over her head. And she emphasized that she could identify men in a confrontation.

“Maria feels good and brave despite the stress she has experienced in the last two days,” Kasak said Wednesday night. At this moment she is detained without a document indicating who arrested her, when, where and why. She will file a lawsuit for the kidnapping and request a forensic examination due to the politician’s health, Kasak said. Solidarity demonstrations took place in Minsk on Wednesday, during which people demanded the release of Kolesnikova. There were several arrests.

The Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) condemned the political violence in Belarus. In response to the grave human rights violations, the Council of Europe, together with other international bodies, will launch an international investigation to document and prosecute the crimes. The Belarusian authorities and civil society representatives are invited to participate in the investigation. The results would be delivered to the judiciary so that the human rights violations could be imputed.

In an interview with Russian state media, controversial head of state Alexander Lukashenko defended the violent crackdown by the security forces against peaceful protesters. He had honored hundreds of uniformed men. He described the most serious injuries reported by victims of violence on social media as harmless, which many doctors also confirmed. In addition, many protesters painted the bruises and bloody welts on their own skin, he said. However, there were also several deaths.

In the former Soviet republic, there have been daily protests against President Lukashenko since the controversial presidential elections on August 9. After 26 years in power, Lukashenko was declared the winner of the election for the sixth time in a row, with more than 80 percent of the vote. The democratic movement in the country between Poland and Russia, a member of the EU, on the other hand, sees Svetlana Tichanowskaja, 37, as the new president. The EU, like most other countries, has not recognized the option. Russia and China, however, congratulated the 66-year-old on his victory.