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The head of the British Foreign Office, Dominic Raab, called on the regime of current Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to release the detainees, including the member of the Presidium of the Opposition Coordination Council Maria Kolesnikova.
British Chancellor Dominic Raab expressed concern over the disappearance Belarusian oppositionist, member of the Presidium of the Opposition Coordination Council Maria Kolesnikova. The corresponding statement he published September 7 on his Twitter page.
“Mode [президента Беларуси Александра] Lukashenka must, first of all, guarantee their safe return. The regime must stop violence against protesters, release political prisoners and initiate dialogue with the opposition, “Raab said.
Seriously concerned for the welfare of Maria Kolesnikova in #Belorussia. The Lukashenko regime must make his safe return its top priority. The regime must stop brutalizing protesters, release political prisoners, and begin dialogue with the opposition.
– Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) September 7, 2020
Communication with Kolesnikova disappeared on the morning of September 7. Eyewitnesses saw people in plain clothes and masks pushing the opponent into a minibus with the sign “Communication” near the National Museum of Art in Minsk. Minsk police said they had not detained Kolesnikova.
On the fact of the disappearance of Kolesnikova, her relatives filed a request with the police.
Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called Kolesnikova’s kidnapping a terror and an attempt to disrupt the work of the coordinating council.
Mass protests have been going on in Belarus since August 9. The protesters believe that the results of the presidential elections were falsified. According to official data, current President Alexander Lukashenko won with 80.1% of the voters. Tikhanovskaya came in second with 10.1% of the vote. At the same time, alternative exit polls showed the opposite picture: Tikhanovskaya’s confident victory.
The Belarusian security forces violently dispersed the demonstrations, in particular with the use of stun grenades, rubber bullets and water cannons.
During the protests, according to the opposition, about 10,000 protesters were detained, hundreds were injured and wounded. According to official figures, four protesters died.
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