‘Belarusian protest leader Maria Kolesnikova kidnapped’ | Abroad

Kolesnikova’s allies said they were checking the message. Minsk police also say they are investigating reports that she has been kidnapped, the RIA news agency reported. In any case, they did not arrest her, police said.

The incident is said to have happened near the National Art Museum. Spokesman for the Opposition Coordination Council, Anton Rodnenkov, told Tut.By that Kolesnikova was only in the city center on business. She wouldn’t answer her phone since the incident. Later Rodnenkov was also no longer available.

In the Belarusian capital Minsk, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday to protest against the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. According to the authorities, 633 people were arrested.

The background to the protests is the presidential elections of more than four weeks ago. Lukashenko had declared himself the winner with 80.1 percent of the vote. However, the opposition regards Svetlana Tikhanovskaya as the real winner.

38-year-old Kolesnikova is one of the main opposition members who oppose the controversial head of state Lukashenko. Some colleagues from the Coordination Council had previously been arrested or forced to leave. The Coordination Council aims for a peaceful transfer of power in the former Soviet country.

Kolesnikova repeatedly appeared at the protests and was cheered on by the protesters. On Sunday she also joined the large demonstration in Minsk.

After the elections, opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaja fled to EU country Lithuania, where she is currently in exile. Tikhanovskaya said the possible kidnapping of Kolesnikova appears to be an attempt by the authorities to derail the Coordination Council and intimidate its members.

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