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Opposition Leaders in Belarus disappearing in a series of abductions

Protesters unfurl a banner in the colours of the former Belarus national flag in Minsk, Belarus. Photo:Bloomberg

 

Opposition Leaders in Belarus disappearing in a series of abductions

 

By Patryk Krych | The World Daily | SEPTEMBER 9th 2020

 

Belarusian opposition leader and figurehead Maria Kolesnikova is only the latest of the opposition leaders, heading the country’s protests against a fascistic regime, to have disappeared after masked men abducted her in the middle of a street in Minsk, witnesses reported.

Kolesnikova, the opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s campaign partner, was said to have been taken away by the masked men after being thrown into a minivan at around 10am local time whilst she had been walking close to Minsk’s, the country’s capitol, national art museum. She’s said to be the most prominent political figure within Belarus, having recently torn up her passport at the Ukrainian border to avoid expulsion from the country.

The recent victory of the long-ruling president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, in the August 9 elections was widely protested as having been rigged, with an unusually high vote rate in comparison to polls made beforehand. Protests of over 100,000 people had gathered as a result, calling for the resignation of Lukashenko, as his opposition rival Tikhanovskaya claimed victory. Riot police made over 600 arrests, and many people had reportedly been harmed as a result of Lukashenko’s pro-government gangs of thugs.

One of the witnesses to the incident, who had identified herself as Anastasia, spoke to the Tut.by news website to discuss what she had seen. She stated that she had considered going up to Kolesnikova when she spotted her on the street, to thank her for all her work, but changed her mind after noticing that she looked rather tired.

“Then I noticed a dark minivan with the slogan “Svyaz” on the side parked up not far from the museum. I carried on and then heard the sound of a telephone falling on the tarmac,” Anastasia said. “I turned round and saw people in civilian clothes and masks dragging Maria into the van. The phone flew out of her hand. One of them picked it up, jumped into the van and they drove off.”

Anton Rodnenkov, the press aide of Ms Kolesnikova, had also confirmed the disappearance, only to reportedly have mysteriously vanished himself only 40 minutes after this. Her council colleagues, Ivan Kravtsov and Maxim Bogretsov have also disappeared, along with the entirety of her press team. This organised series of abductions is widely believed to be a tactic by ‘president’ Lukashenko, as a means to quell the protests that have arisen against him.

One Minsk journalist stated his scepticism that these ‘mafia-style’ tactics will yield any success for Lukashenko. “They are spontaneous. It’s really a grassroots thing happening in Minsk and all over Belarus. People unite in their local communities. They start their own Telegram chats and discuss where to march next,” the journalist said. “I believe Maria’s kidnapping won’t stop the protests. It will intensify them actually.”

Belarusian authorities recently commented on the situation, claiming that the opposition leaders were arrested, not abducted. A claim that hasn’t seen much belief from the Belarusian people, as police in Minsk were cited by a Russian Interfax news agency as stating that they had not detained Kolesnikova.

Furthermore, Amnesty International, along with other human rights groups, had collected many testimonies from Belarusian protestors about the horrors of the torturous treatment in detention centres. Many shared the claims that whilst detained, they had been beaten, stripped naked, and threatened with rape. Crowds that had gathered outside of the detention centres said they’d heard terrible screaming coming from within the buildings, corroborated by video footage. All of this, it is believed, points to the Belarusian authorities as users of illegal torture tactics and terrorisation of the country’s protestors.

“For days the world has watched in horror as police in Belarus fire rubber bullets and tear gas, into crowds of peaceful protesters. It is now becoming increasingly clear that the bloody scenes on the streets of Belarus are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International's Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

With this being the reported treatment of the protestors, many are beginning to fear the sort of treatment that the opposition leaders may be put under. Especially when considering that this is the second time that some of them have been abducted. Rodnenkov had previously stated that he, along with another colleague had been abducted on Monday, and were interrogated with bags over their heads. They were let go on the conditions that they, along with Ms Kolesnikova leave the country. They drove up to the Ukrainian border, but Kolesnikova refused to go, and at this point had proceeded to rip up her passport.

Many Belarusian opposition leaders have thrown accusations at the EU, specifically the accusation of failing to respond to the widespread violation of basic human rights across the country. Amnesty International has also been putting pressure on many international leaders to do something about the torturous actions and violations being committed by Lukashenko and his government. As of now, the whereabouts of Kolesnikova and her colleagues remains unknown, though many of her supporters fear the worst.

 

By Patryk Krych | © The World Daily 2020

 

 

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