Belarus: who is Maria Kolesnikova, who became heroine of the opposition to Lukashenko?
The Belarusian opponent Maria Kolesnikova, before the Central Election Commission of Belarus, in Minsk on July 14, 2020. Sergei GAPON / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Belarusian Maria Kolesnikova was elevated to the rank of opposition heroine when she refused to leave the country under duress from the authorities.
Now officially in preventive detention in a center of Minsk, according to his father, after his kidnapping on September 7 in the morning and his reappearance in the night at the border with Ukraine, the political life of this figure of the protest does not date from 'yesterday.
Publicity
Read more
Cropped hair, wide smile enhanced with lipstick, making a heart
with her hands: this is the most common image of Maria Kolesnikova.
At 38, she is the last to be still on Belarusian soil among
the female trio that led the
anti-Alexander Lukashenko
campaign
.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the presidential candidate, was forced into exile in Lithuania
the day after the election.
Veronika Tsepkalo, she joined her husband abroad.
In all her speeches,
Maria Kolesnikova has always firmly refused the idea of leaving her country
.
A musician by training, the young woman began her career as a flutist in the biggest concert halls of Minsk.
In 2007, she went to Stuttgart in Germany to improve her baroque flute.
"
Never be afraid
"
In Germany, over the years, she has developed cultural exchange projects with Belarus.
She meets, within the framework of one of them, Viktor Babaryko, the former banker, deprived of presidential election.
Maria Kolesnikova became his campaign manager and then his representative when he was jailed in June.
In an interview, dating back two years ago, she gave this advice to young musicians '
N
' have never fear.
(…) It is very important not only in music, but everywhere, because there will always be a lot of people who will try to push you (...) It is very important to never stop
.
"
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko
On the same subject
Belarus: according to her companions, Kolesnikova would have torn up her passport to avoid forced exile
Belarus tried to expel opponent Maria Kolesnikova to Ukraine
Belarus: more than 600 arrests during massive opposition protest