He stressed that the United States is seriously concerned about the situation around Kolesnikova and representatives of the Constitutional Court of the Belarusian opposition Ivan Kravtsov and Anton Rodnenkov.
“The United States, in coordination with our partners and allies, is considering additional targeted sanctions to bring to justice those involved in human rights abuses and repression in Belarus,” the State Department press service said.
Pompeo reminded the Belarusian authorities of their "responsibility for the safety of Kolesnikova and other unjustly detained persons."
Washington calls on Minsk to "stop violence against its own people, release all unjustly detained, including US citizen Vitaly Shklyarov, and begin a constructive dialogue with genuine representatives of the Belarusian society," Pompeo concluded.
On the morning of September 8, the Belarusian State Border Committee confirmed that Kolesnikova had been detained, and the oppositionists Kravtsov and Rodnenkov had left the country and entered the territory of Ukraine.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko commented on the situation with Kolesnikova in an interview with RT and other Russian media.