Belarus tried to expel opponent Maria Kolesnikova to Ukraine

Belarusian opponent Maria Kolesnikova in Minsk on August 27, 2020. AP Photo / Dmitri Lovetsky

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2 min

Belarusian opponent Maria Kolesnikova was kidnapped on Monday, September 7 in the center of the capital, Minsk.

The security services of the authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko had confirmed his arrest, without indicating his situation.

She reappeared that night at the border, where the authorities reportedly tried to deport her to Ukraine.

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With our correspondent in Kiev,

Sébastien Gobert

Details are still unclear to explain this night scene.

At around 4 a.m., the Belarusian security services reportedly transported

Maria Kolesnikova

and two men, members of the opposition coordination council,

to the southern border of the country

, all three missing in Minsk the day before.

They were reportedly placed in a car and forced to drive towards Ukraine.

Anton Rodnenkov and Ivan Kratsov actually passed the checks.

But Maria Kolesnikova reportedly tore up her passport to avoid being accepted into Ukraine.

Belarusian border guards today confirm his detention.

These are not the first opponents that Minsk seeks to evacuate from its territory, in a context of brutal repression of protests so far peaceful.

►Also read: Belarus: more than 600 arrests during the massive opposition demonstration

Maria Kolesnikova is one of the leading figures in the protest and co-founder of the Ensemble party.

She had hammered her determination to continue the fight until the fall of Alexander Lukashenko.

She is erected as a heroine on social networks for her refusal to be deported.

But his fate is now very uncertain.

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  • Belarus

  • Alexander Lukashenko

  • Ukraine

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Belarus: more than 600 arrests during massive opposition protest