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.
A great escape! Family poodle gets trapped underneath kitchen
Senior US diplomat suggests AUKUS will deter any China moves against Taiwan
Coalition talks stretch on one month past election day
Dozens of jobs set to be axed at Commerce Commission
Durek Verrett labels Princess Martha Louise of Norway his 'sun and moon'
NZ brothers remain behind bars after appearing in Phuket court
Person found dead after house fire in Whitianga
Fire kills 29 people at Istanbul nightclub during daytime renovations
North Carolina legislators return to adjust the budget and consider other issues
Golriz Ghahraman's law career at risk if convicted, professor says
Who's made the cut for Meghan's new Montecito inner circle? Polo wives, Britney Spears' ex
Daylight saving: When it ends, why we observe it and how to change the time on your phone