The Minsk court has sentenced Maria Kolesnikova, one of the leaders of the democratic protest in Belarus and one of its most symbolic figures, to 11 years in prison.
Kolesnikova was convicted on three counts: conspiracy to carry out a coup and seizure of power, public calls for seizure of power, and the establishment of an instigating organization.
A colleague, Advocate Maxim Zanak, who was also one of the heads of the protest's coordinating committee, was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Following the falsification of elections by dictator Alexander Lukashenko on August 9 last year and the brutal repression of demonstrations against him, hundreds of thousands of Belarusians went out in August in huge protests demanding the realization of their vote, an investigation into detainees and the release of political prisoners.
Prior to the election, Maria Kolesnikova, a flutist by profession, was a coordinator at the headquarters of one of the presidential candidates, Victor Babriko, who was not allowed to run. After the opposition candidates' rallies united around Svetlana Tikhnovskaya, Kolesnikova was one of three women (along with Tikhnovskaya and the wife of another former presidential candidate, Veronica Tsafkalo) to form the trio that plagued Belarus and symbolized the change Belarus had made in Europe after 26 years. During the August demonstrations, Kolesnikova roamed the area, cheering on the protesters and trying to appeal to the rioters, who were sent to guard the facilities. On August 18, she was among the founders of the protest coordinating committee, which sought to open an orderly dialogue with the dictator for an orderly transfer of power.
On September 7, while walking in the center of Minsk, Kolesnikova was abducted by unknown individuals. Officially, no one "knew" to say anything about her whereabouts, but the next day it became clear that Belarusian KGB workers had tried to force her voluntary departure to neighboring Ukraine. Officially, the authorities had no choice but to admit that they were holding Kolesnikova. Shirts 25 years in prison. "
"Maxim and Masha (Maria) did not feel they were being prosecuted," said Alexander Kolnisokev, Maria's father, as he left the courtroom. "They felt overwhelmed by this happening. "Look at us. Thank God, their behavior, their security, reassured me and Maxim's father as well."
Immediately after the verdict was announced, Germany expressed solidarity with Kolesnikova, Zanak and the other political prisoners and demanded their release.
The EU has issued a demand for the immediate release of prisoners.
The union is currently working on a fifth-round package of Torah sanctions against the Lukashenko regime.
