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Kolesnikova is said to have left Belarus, despite being arrested at the border.
Opposition politics Maria Kolesnikowa. Image: keystone
After her disappearance, opposition politician Maria Kolesnikowa was arrested in Belarus, according to border guards. As of Tuesday morning, however, there was still uncertainty about her exact whereabouts.
Previously there had been reports that he was supposed to be in Ukraine. The 38-year-old is one of the main leaders of the protests against the authoritarian head of state Alexander Lukashenko. There was no sign of him since Monday.
Disappeared without a trace on Monday
According to the border guards of the state agency Belta, Kolesnikova wanted to travel to Ukraine. Kolesnikowa, along with her colleague Ivan Kravzov and her spokesman Anton Rodnenkow, arrived at the checkpoint in a car, she said. The two men would have crossed the border. This was also confirmed by the Ukrainian side. Earlier it was reported that the three had gone to Ukraine. Information provided by the authorities cannot be independently verified.
According to her own statements, the coordinating council of the democracy movement had no information about where Kolesnikova was staying. She is a member of this body of civil society in Belarus. Also, the city council did not know where the two employees were. “We can only confirm the fact that Maria Kolesnikova did not want to leave Belarus voluntarily.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook about an attempted deportation. “Maria Kolesnikova could not be deported from Belarus because this brave woman made her deportation across the border impossible through her actions.” The media wrote, citing unspecified sources, that the opposition should have broken their passports.
There has been no sign of life from her since Monday morning. The Coordinating Council assumed that Kolesnikova had been abducted by strangers in the center of the capital, Minsk. The Interior Ministry had stated that it had not arrested the opposition. There have been thousands of arrests during protests in the country between Russia and Poland in recent weeks. It was not initially clear where Kolesnikova had been on Monday.
The opposition party Svetlana Tichanowskaja demanded the immediate release of her campaign partner. “The task of the coordination council is to be a platform for negotiations,” said the 37-year-old, who faced the head of state and is in the EU country Lithuania. “There is no other solution, and Lukashenko has to acknowledge this.” He couldn’t just take people hostage.
The 38-year-old works for former bank chief Viktor Babariko, who wanted to run for president. Lukashenko had him arrested before the elections. The criminal case is considered politically motivated. Together with Babariko he founded a new party.
Viktor babariko Image: keystone
Kolesnikova repeatedly appeared at protests and was cheered on by protesters. Her trademark: During her appearances, she formed a heart with her fingers and handed it to men in uniform. She lived for many years in the city of Stuttgart, in southern Germany.
The background to the protests is the presidential elections of more than four weeks ago. Lukashenko was then declared the winner with 80.1 percent of the votes. However, the opposition considers Tichanovskaya to be the real winner. The vote is criticized internationally for being grossly falsified. (sda / dpa)
