In the days following the disputed vote, both Ms. Tikhanovskaya and Ms. Tsepkalo went abroad under suspicious circumstances. Ms. Kolesnikova was Kidnapping He was taken to the country’s border with Ukraine by masked men on September 8 last year, but he resisted attempts to forcibly deport him. breaking his passport, she jumped out of the car she was in and headed back to Belarusian territory.
“We demand the immediate release of Maria and Maksim, who are not guilty of anything,” said Ms Tikhanovskaya, who has emerged as the leader of the opposition. exile and now living in Lithuania, wrote on Twitter. “This is terror against Belarusians who dare to stand up for the regime.”
Despite 11 months behind bars, Ms Kolesnikova has sought to project an indomitable spirit by sending positive letters to relatives and supporters from prison. When she appeared in court on Monday morning, in a glass cage with Mr Zanuk, she turned her handcuffed hands into the shape of a heart, one of her trademark messages during the campaign last summer.
In the days before the trial began last month, Ms Kolesnikova wrote that officials on state television offered to apologize or negotiate to release her from custody if she repented. She said that she declined the offer because she was innocent.
When Ms Kolesnikova and Mr Znack made their closing remarks last week, none other than the lawyers could be present. But according to aides of Mr. Babriko, in whose campaign Ms. Kolesnikova was successful, she spoke at length about “moral choice, conscience, respect and love for the people” and called for the rule of law to be enforced in her country. . .
“Whatever the word ‘democracy’ may appear on television, no one can ignore what is written in the Constitution about our country.