Image copyright pyriteReuters
The EU has demanded that Belarus release “detainees on political grounds” before and after the disputed presidential election.
It is planning sanctions for those responsible for “violence, repression and falsification of election results.”
Maria Kolesnikova, a key opposition figure, went missing on Monday when she was bundled into a minibus.
She was one of three women who joined forces to challenge incumbent Alexander Lukashenko in the August election.
Mass protests erupted after his re-election amid allegations of vote-rigging.
More than 600 people were arrested on Sunday in the capital, Minsk, and other cities for the fourth consecutive week of anti-government protests. At least four people have been killed and hundreds injured as officials try to quell dissent.
Mr Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has accused Western countries of meddling. The Kremlin said Monday that it is likely to visit its ally Russia “in the coming days.”
What happened to Maria Kolesnikova?
Ms Kolesnikova was caught by masked men on a street in Minsk on Monday morning and pushed into a minibus.
He is a member of the Co-ordination Council formed by the Opposition to ensure the transfer of power. Council member Maxim Znak said on Monday evening: “We still do not know where Maria is and what is happening to her.”
The council says its press secretary, Anton Rodnenkov, and its executive secretary, Ivan Kravatsov, have also disappeared.
The home ministry said it had no information on the detention of council members.
Ms. Kolesnikova was the last of three women to join forces against Mr. Lukashenko to stay inside Belarus. Veronica Tsepkolo and presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhnovskaya left the country shortly after the vote.
Ms Tikhnovskaya said the latest detainees were an attempt to disrupt the co-ordination council’s work. “The more they try to intimidate us, the more people will take to the streets,” he said in a statement from Lithuania.
Authorities opposed the protest with all available police forces, special services and the army. ” The council has accused Mr Lukashenko of “openly using methods of terrorism”.
Image copyright pyriteGetty ImagesWhat was the EU response?
The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Joseph Borrell, has condemned what he called “unethical, arbitrary and unexplained arrests and detentions for political reasons.”
“It is clear that state officials in Belarus continue to increasingly illegally intimidate or threaten its citizens and brutally violate both their own domestic laws and international obligations.”
He called for the immediate release of 633 people detained during Sunday’s protests.
“We expect the authorities to end political persecution and end political persecution with full respect for the democratic and fundamental rights of the Belarusian people and engage in inclusive national dialogue.”
Earlier, the EU said it planned to impose economic sanctions on senior Belarusian officials, including the interior minister, by mid-September. Restrictions are expected to stabilize travel and stabilize property.
What happened on sunday
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Video footage shows plainclothes men being beaten by peaceful protesters.
The home ministry confirmed that at least 3,633 arrests had been made across the country.
“Nowhere in the world are there more humane, restrained and cold-headed police,” Interior Minister Yuri Karayev defended the security forces’ action.
Image copyright pyriteEPA
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