TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — It’s been 434 days since the family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova heard from her, her relatives said Wednesday, on the activist’s 42nd birthday.
Kolesnikova, who is serving 11 years in prison for helping organize anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020, and other imprisoned opposition figures have been held incommunicado for months on end, raising fears for their well-being.
“It’s the fourth birthday that Maria spends behind bars, and recently we received information that her health is deteriorating and we don’t know if she’s being treated at all,” her sister Tatsiana Khomich told Belarusian media. Khomich added that the last letter the family received from Kolesnikova came in February 2023, and bits and pieces of news about her trickle through other inmates.
Belarus was rocked by mass protests after an election in 2020 that gave authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko his sixth term in office — a vote that was denounced by the West and the opposition as fraudulent. Authorities responded by arresting more than 35,000 people and brutally beating thousands of them. Many top opposition figures were arrested and given long prison terms, while others fled abroad.
Investigator says Trump, allies were part of Michigan election scheme despite not being charged
Nikola Jokic's brother appears to PUNCH a fan in the face after Nuggets' comeback win over Lakers
Tucker Carlson says there is 'no evidence' for Darwin's theory of evolution
New Jersey is motivating telecommuters to appeal their New York tax bills
1 person was arrested after 3 people were injured in a 'major incident' at a Welsh school
Smoke seen as ANA flight carrying about 200 people lands safely in northern Japan, public TV says
Solomon Islands PM Sogavare commands largest bloc in Parliament after election — Radio Free Asia
Kawhi Leonard returns to the Clippers' lineup for Game 2 against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks
Pedo school cop shoots himself dead after high
Vick Hope wows in a plunging white swimsuit and flashes her leg in a thigh
Prince Louis wore Prince George's £25 hand
Five Rohingya found dead after Arakan Army arrest — Radio Free Asia