Activist leader resisting efforts to deport her
KYIV, Ukraine — A leading opposition activist in Belarus was held on the border with Ukraine on Tuesday after she resisted an attempt by authorities to deport her as part of government efforts to end a month of protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Maria Kolesnikova, a member of the Coordination Council created by the opposition to facilitate talks with the longtime leader on a transition of power, was detained Monday in the capital of Minsk along with two other council members.
They were driven early Tuesday to the border, where authorities told them to cross into Ukraine. When they arrived in a no-man’s land between the countries, Kolesnikova ripped her passport into small pieces to make it impossible for the authorities to expel her. She has remained in custody on the Belarusian side of the border since.
Two other council members who crossed into Ukraine, Ivan Kravtsov and Anton Rodnenkov, described Kolesnikova’s action with open admiration.
“She was shouting that she won’t go anywhere,” Rodnenkov said at a news conference in Kyiv. “Sitting in the car, she saw her passport on a front seat and tore it into many small fragments, crumpled them and threw them out of the window. After that, she opened the back door and walked back to the Belarusian border.”
He said that “Maria is in great shape, full of energy and spirits, as always.”
Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus’ Border Guard Committee, confirmed she is in the custody of Belarusian authorities but refused to give any details of what happened on the border.
Belarus has used similar tactics to force other opposition figures to leave the country, seeking to end a month of demonstrations that followed the reelection of Lukashenko in a vote that protesters see as rigged. Lukashenko has ruled the country for 26 years, relentlessly stifling dissent and keeping most of the economy in state hands.
The 66-year-old former state farm director has rejected criticism from the U.S. and E.U., which said the Aug. 9 election was neither free nor fair and shrugged off their demands to open a dialogue with the opposition.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko, left for Lithuania a day after the election under pressure from authorities.
Addressing the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly on Tuesday, Tsikhanuskaya called for international sanctions against Lukashenko and other government officials.
“We need international pressure on this regime, on this one individual, desperately clinging onto power,” she said.
Tsikhanouskaya said Lukashenko doesn’t have any legitimacy after stealing the vote, warning other countries against making any deals with the Belarusian government.
“He does not represent Belarus anymore,” she said.
Kolesnikova, a 38-year-old flute player who led a popular arts centre, entered politics just before the election.
She led the campaign headquarters of a top potential challenger to Lukashenko, and when he was barred from running and jailed on charges widely seen as political, she joined Tsikhanouskaya’s campaign.
Another associate of Tsikhanouskaya, Antonina Konovalova, disappeared Tuesday after a court fined her for taking part in a weekend protest.
As evening fell, police dispersed several hundred demonstrators rallying in Minsk in solidarity with Kolesnikova and detained at least a dozen.
After a brutal crackdown on protesters by police in the initial days after the vote that stoked international outrage and swelled the ranks of protesters, authorities in Belarus have switched to threats and selective arrests of activists and demonstrators.
Belarusian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into members of the Coordination Council, accusing them of undermining national security by calling for a transition of power. Several council members were arrested and others were called for questioning.
Last week, Pavel Latushko, a former minister of culture and ambassador to France who joined the opposition council, travelled to Poland after facing threats. His departure came a day after Lukashenko warned that Latushko had crossed a “red line” and would face prosecution.
On Saturday, Tsikhanouskaya associate Olga Kovalkova also moved to Poland after the authorities threatened to jail her for a long time if she refused to leave the country.
Kovalkova said agents of the Belarusian State Security Committee, or KGB, put her into a car, where she was told to lie on the floor, unaware where they were taking her. She was dropped off in no-man’s land between the Belarus and Poland border.
March 28, 1936 - September 1, 2020 Beloved Grandfather, Father, Husband, after a lengthy illness Henrie has gone to be with his loving family in Heaven on September 1, 2020. The last of a family of 12 we know he was happy to go to them as he had his arms stretched out in a hug, speaking French and smiling, he is in good hands now. He is survived by his loving wife Marion; his daughters Theresa (Ryan) Naka and Debra Dotschkat; his sons Tom (Kerri) Lessard and David Lessard (Nicole Prevost); his grandchildren Blake (Bre) Naka, Jamie Naka, Holly Lessard, Rachel Lessard, Amanda Dotschkat, Bobbie-Lee (Tim) Hirtz, Cayleih Lessard, and Emily Lessard; and his greatgrandchildren Lux Naka, Liv Naka. Henrie was a fighter to the end and will always be remembered for his sarcastic sense of humor, competitive game playing, love of his kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and the magic tricks he did to entertain them. Born in McLennan, Alberta, he moved to Vancouver, BC with his family where he met his wife Marion. They married on April 18/59 in Surrey, BC and had 61 years together. They started their family there with Tom and Theresa, and then moved to Golden, BC where they added Debra. The sun brought them to Kelowna where they settled for his remaining years and had the final of four children David. Henrie went to work as a Manager for Gorman Bros Mill for 12 years and made many lifelong friends there. Always wanting to learn, in 1978 he went back to school to get his GED and then go on to the University of Victoria for a Bachelor of Arts degree. During this time he was able to develop his passion for painting and all forms of art. Never one to have idle hands, he loved to keep busy, so on top of working he also had a ranch where we raised cattle, pigs, horses and chickens before moving on to being an orchardist. Henrie was very active in the Catholic Church and could often be found flipping pancakes for Knights of Columbus or doing adoration. He loved volunteering in the gardens at Cottonwoods, which is fitting as that was where he spent his final days. We would like to thank the staff at KGH and Cottonwoods for taking such good care of Dad over these last 10 months. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting
www.springfieldfuneralhome.com