France reiterated on Tuesday December 6 its support for the Belarusian opponent Maria Koleniskova and underlined its concern about her state of health and her conditions of detention.
“
France is deeply concerned about the state of health and the conditions of detention of Ms.
Maria Kolesnikova,” Anne-Claire Legendre, spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the opponent “
must be able to benefit from appropriate medical monitoring and continue to be defended by their lawyers
”.
Perforated ulcer
A figure in the 2020 revolt against the controversial re-election of leader Alexander Lukashenko, Ms. Kolesnikova, 40, winner of the 2020 Sakharov Prize and the 2021 Vaclav Havel Prize, was sentenced last year to 11 years in prison in Belarus.
She had been hospitalized and had emergency surgery last week for a “
perforated ulcer
” before returning to her prison infirmary last weekend, according to her supporters.
This former professional musician was sentenced in September 2021 to 11 years in prison for "
conspiracy
" against power, "
calls for action undermining national security
" and "
creating an extremist formation
".
Read alsoIn Belarus, the opponent Maria Kolesnikova in danger
"
France calls on the Belarusian authorities for the unconditional and immediate release of all people arbitrarily detained in Belarus and condemns the continued repression carried out by the Belarusian authorities against its population
", also urged the spokesperson for the Quai d' Orsay in this press release.
Last week, the European Union had already demanded the immediate release of Maria Kolesnikova.