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The EU has demanded that the Belarusian authorities release “all those detained for political reasons before and after” the controversial presidential elections.
He is planning sanctions for those responsible for “violence, repression and falsification of electoral results.”
Maria Kolesnikova, a key opposition figure, disappeared on Monday after she was spotted in a minibus.
She was one of three women who joined forces to challenge incumbent Alexander Lukashenko in the August elections.
Massive protests followed his re-election amid accusations of vote rigging.
More than 600 people were arrested on Sunday, following a fourth consecutive weekend of anti-government protests in the capital Minsk and other cities. At least four people have been killed and hundreds injured as authorities tried to crush dissent.
Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has accused Western nations of interference. He is expected to visit his ally Russia “in the next few days,” the Kremlin said on Monday.
What happened to Maria Kolesnikova?
Ms. Kolesnikova was seen by witnesses when masked men seized her on a Minsk street on Monday morning and put her in a minibus.
He is a member of the Coordination Council created by the opposition to ensure a transfer of power. A council member, Maxim Znak, said Monday night: “We still don’t know where Maria is and what is happening to her.”
The council says its press secretary, Anton Rodnenkov, and its executive secretary, Ivan Kravtsov, have also disappeared.
The Interior Ministry said it had no information on the detained council members.
Ms. Kolesnikova was the last of the three women who joined forces against Mr. Lukashenko to remain inside Belarus. Veronika Tsepkalo and presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya left the country shortly after the vote.
Ms. Tikhanovskaya said that the latest arrests were an attempt to disrupt the work of the Coordination Council. “The more they try to scare us, the more people will take to the streets,” he said in a statement from Lithuania.
Government authorities have initiated criminal proceedings against opposition leaders, saying that “the creation and activity of the Coordination Council is aimed at seizing state power and damaging national security.” The council accuses Mr. Lukashenko of “openly using methods of terror”.
image copyrightfake imagesWhat was the reaction of the EU?
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, strongly condemned what he called “incessant, arbitrary and inexplicable arrests and detentions for political reasons”.
“It is clear that the state authorities in Belarus continue to intimidate or allow the intimidation of their citizens in an increasingly illegal way and in stark violation of both their own national laws and international obligations.”
He called for the immediate release of the opposition figures and the 633 people who were arrested during Sunday’s protest.
“We hope that the authorities will stop the political persecution and engage in an inclusive national dialogue, in full respect of the democratic and fundamental rights of the Belarusian people.”
Earlier, the EU said it planned to impose economic sanctions on 31 senior Belarusian officials, including the interior minister, in mid-September. The sanctions are expected to cover travel bans and asset freezes.
What happened on Sunday?
The police began making arrests in Minsk at the end of an unauthorized demonstration as people were heading home. Video footage shows men in plain clothes beating peaceful protesters with batons.
The Interior Ministry confirmed that at least 633 arrests had been made across the country.
Internal Affairs Minister Yuri Karayev defended the actions of the security forces, saying that “there are no more humane, restrained and serene policemen anywhere in the world.”
image copyrightEPA
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