Sunday 30 / June / 2024
Unidentified men in black wearing masks reportedly grabbed Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova off the street on Monday, driving her away in a minibus.
Kolesnikova was a campaign partner of opposition candidate Svietlana Tsikhanouskaya who claimed victory against President Alexander Lukashenko in the August 9 elections. The result of the election is disputed.
Witnesses say Kolesnikova was seized in central Minsk and bundled into a bus labelled "Communications." Her phone was also apparently switched off.
Local journalist Hanna Liubakova wrote on Twitter that her Coordination Council colleague Anton Radniankou could also not be reached.
Police in Minsk told a news agency they had not detained her.
Koleniskova is a vocal critic of Lukashenko and has played a vital role in weeks of demonstrations.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Lunkevicius likened what happened to the actions of Soviet-era secret police.
"The kidnapping is a disgrace," he wrote on Twitter.
Another leading activist, Olga Kovalkova, arrived in Poland on Saturday. She said she had been told she would face arrest if she stayed in Belarus.
The European Commission also expressed concern about "unexplained and arbitrary arrests" in Belarus on Monday.
More than 600 people were arrested over the weekend during protests, according to police. The demonstrators were accused of taking part in illegal mass gatherings.
The clampdown was one of the most intense since protests began.
