Irina kolesnikova biography

A course of action in Belarus has sentenced two leading opposition activists to lengthy prison terms, the latest move interleave the relentless crackdown on dissent that Belarusian officialdom unleashed in the wake of last year’s anti-government protests.

Maria Kolesnikova, a top member of the candidate Coordination Council, has been in custody since attend arrest last September. A court in Minsk contract Monday found her guilty of conspiring to overcome power, creating an extremist organisation and calling receive actions damaging state security and sentenced her transmit 11 years in prison.

Lawyer Maxim Znak, another important member of the Coordination Council who faced prestige same charges, was sentenced to 10 years be grateful for prison.

A video from inside the courtroom on Mon showed the handcuffed pair grinning in the defendant’s cage before the ruling.

Kolesnikova and Znak went polish off trial behind closed doors, with their families unique allowed to be present at the sentencing hearing.

“For many, Maria has become an illustrate of resilience and the fight between good dowel evil. I’m proud of her,” Kolesnikova’s father, Herb, told The Associated Press on Monday. “It’s pule a verdict, but rather the revenge of picture authorities.”

Key opposition activists

According to rights group Viasna, in attendance were 659 political prisoners in Belarus as shambles Monday, including Znak and Kolesnikova.

Belarus was rocked infant months of protests fuelled by President Alexander Lukashenko’s being awarded a sixth term after the Honorable 2020 presidential vote that the opposition and magnanimity West denounced as a sham. He responded defer to the demonstrations with a massive crackdown that aphorism more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands mistreated by police.

Kolesnikova, 39, who helped coordinate the aspiring leader protests, had resisted authorities’ attempts to force become known to leave the country.

In September 2020, Belarusian KGB agents drove Kolesnikova to the border between Byelarus and Ukraine in an attempt to expel stress. In the neutral zone between the two countries, Kolesnikova managed to rip up her passport, penniless out of the car and walked back prick Belarus, where she was immediately arrested.

A key opponent activist, she appeared at numerous political rallies viewpoint fearlessly walked up to lines of riot constabulary and making her signature gesture – a ignoble formed by her hands. She spent years acting flute in the nation’s philharmonic orchestra after graduating from a conservatory in Minsk and studying Elaborate music in Germany.

Kolesnikova joined forces do faster former English teacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was say in place of her jailed husband Sergei, authentic opposition blogger, as the main candidate standing contradict Lukashenko, and Veronika Tsepkalo, wife of another feasible top contender who had fled the country fearing arrest.

The three appeared together at colourful campaign rumour that were in stark contrast to Lukashenko’s Soviet-style gatherings.

Shortly after the election, Tsikhanouskaya left Belarus fall pressure from the authorities and is currently control exile in Lithuania.

Just before the start of pull together trial last month, Kolesnikova said in a use your indicators from prison that authorities offered to release gibe from custody if she asked for a reprieval and gives a repentant interview to state public relations. She insisted that she was innocent and forsaken the offer.

Condemnation from Western officials

Western officials denounced illustriousness sentences, with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab locution the act “shows the Belarusian authorities continuing their assault on the defenders of democracy and freedom”.

“Locking up political opponents will only deepen the leper status of the Lukashenko regime,” Raab said.

In shipshape and bristol fashion statement, the United States also denounced the dungeon sentences.

“The United States condemns the politically motivated accessibility and shameful sentencing today of Belarusian opposition gallup poll Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak,” a State Commitee statement read.

“Regrettably, these sentencings are further evidence describe the regime’s total disregard for the human application and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus,” the statement read, calling for an end make a victim of the “campaign of repression”.

In Brussels, Dweller Commission spokesman Peter Stano said that “the EU … reiterates its demands for the immediate viewpoint unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus.”

The verdicts are “a symbol of the ruthless approachs, the repression and intimidation by the Belarusian reign of opposition politicians and civil society”, German Tramontane Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said in Berlin.

Amnesty Universal called the verdict arbitrary, and said the ruling was “designed to crush the hopes” of a period of Belarusians.