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MISSING: Maria Kolesnikova was the only female opposition candidate, still in the capital of Belarus. Photo: AP
One of the opposition leaders, Maria Kolesnikova, will cross the border into Ukraine after being abducted by masked men on an open street in Minsk on Monday.
Writes Reuters and Belarusian Tut.by. The former does not cite appointed Belarusian border guards.
It comes after several foreign media reported that Kolesnikova was abducted in central Minsk on Monday morning.
According to BBC Kolesnikova’s masked men grabbed her mobile phone before pushing her into a minibus.
After this, no one should have heard from her.
Kolesnikova is one of three leading women in opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko. On Monday, a leader and a spokesperson for the counter-movement also had to disappear.
It comes after four weeks of large-scale protests against the presidential elections, the entry of military vehicles and water cannons used against the protesters.
BLOODY: The photo was taken the day after the election on August 9. The riots ended in bloody clashes. Several protesters have said they were kidnapped, beaten and tortured by the police. Photo: AP
– They are clear signs that the regime is trying to get rid of key opposition figures. Their logic is that if they get rid of the leaders, the protests will subside, senior adviser Inna Sangadzhieva at the Helsinki Committee told VG on Monday.
Several of the strongest profiles of the opposition have been kidnapped, only to appear on the border with one of the neighboring countries. They have discussed the use of psychological pressure and torture during interrogations, says Sangadzhieva.
– Of course, it is a hope that they are alive. We in the international community must demand that they be found alive and that all such cases be thoroughly investigated. The culprits must be held accountable, says Sangadzhieva.
On Monday night, the British Foreign Secretary tweeted that he was seriously concerned about Kolesnikova. Dominic Raab writes that Lukashenko’s regime must make sure she is found – I live.
– The regime must stop the brutality against protesters, release political prisoners and start a dialogue with the opposition, writes Raab on Twitter.
VG met with presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Monday, in exile in Lithuania. Call on the world to put more pressure on Belarus.
Presidential candidate: – I never thought the police would do this
Kolesnikova was one of three candidates who openly challenged Lukashenko before the August presidential elections. All three are wives of jailed opposition politicians.
She was the last of the women left in Minsk.
Presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya herself suddenly disappeared, just before formally complaining about electoral fraud and manipulation. She then appeared at the Lithuanian border and read a written statement that she had traveled voluntarily.
On Monday, VG met her in Lithuania, where she is working in exile for the removal of the government, before the news came that Kolesnikova had been abducted.
He described that violence against protesters had escalated. More than 600 people were arrested Sunday during the protests against the elections.
– This weekend, people in civilian clothes attacked the protesters with batons. They weren’t ordinary cops, but we have no idea who they are. It is also new that women are being attacked, Thikanovskaya told VG.
– What do you know about the fate of the detainees?
– Six people have died after this violence. Those arrested in the first days were beaten. I have seen many photos of people showing their injuries and hearing what they experienced in prison. I could never believe that it was the Belarusian police who did this, although we may not know everything. “I don’t know how many are still in prison,” said the presidential candidate.
IN EXILE: The presidential candidate will meet with Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Tuesday. A camera crew follows her into exile, when VG meets her in Lithuania. Photo: Helge Mikalsen
Calls on Prime Minister Solberg for stricter measures
Last week, Kolesnikova announced that she and her husband would start a new political party, called “together” in Belarus.
That may be why she was now arrested, says Sangadzhieva. At the same time, paramilitary forces in Belarus have used more violence and threats in general.
Tomorrow, Erna Solberg will meet with the presidential candidate in exile in Lithuania. This is an important, but not a sufficient signal, the Russian expert.
– In the Helsinki Committee we have asked Solberg to take a more active role. Meeting the opposition is a very important signal, those who have used peaceful methods and the desired dialogue must be supported. But, as the situation develops at the moment, more active and strict measures are important.
Several EU leaders and election observers have not acknowledged the outcome of the elections, with the incumbent president receiving 81 percent of the vote. Several NATO and neighboring countries have imposed sanctions on the regime.
The resistance movement is led from abroad, where Tikhanovskaya requests that the authorities meet with them in dialogue.
– It is important to see them and support the changes. What we see now in Belarus is a society in transition, they are ready to implement a democratic change.
