Sept. 6 (UPI) — A Belarusian court on Monday sentenced opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova to 11 years in prison for threatening national security, her supporters said.
Kolesnikova’s lawyer, Maksim Znak, also received 10 years in prison, according to fellow opposition leader and human rights activist Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
“We demand the immediate release of Maria & Maksim, who aren’t guilty of anything. It’s terror against Belarusians who dare to stand up to the regime. We won’t stop until everybody is free in Belarus,” Tsikhanouskaya tweeted.
The BBC reported Kolesnikova and Znak joined an opposition council after President Alexander Lukashenko was elected in 2020 — a disputed election that prompted nationwide protests.
Prosecutors accused the opposition Belarusian Coordination Council of attempting to organize a coup, and arrested Kolesnikova and Znak. They were accused of plotting to seize power.
Both leaders denied involvement in a coup and said their trials were shams.
The council said in September 2020 that Kolesnikova, Znak and two other members were abducted in Minsk after Lukashenko’s political opponent, Tsikhanouskaya, fled the country in the wake of the election. Kolesnikova refused to leave Belarus, even after she was threatened with exile, tearing up her passport at the Ukrainian border to avoid being sent there.
The United States called on Belarus to release Kolesnikova and other political detainees and end violence against protesters and journalists in the wake of the contested election.
Kolesnikova has remained in prison for more than 11 months since her abduction and arrest.
Her supporters gathered outside the court Monday, calling for Kolesnikova and Znak’s release.
“It’s terror against Belarusians who dare to stand up to the regime,” Tsikhanouskaya tweeted. “We won’t stop until everybody is free in Belarus.