KIEV, Ukraine – one of the main representatives of the opposition in Belarus has been on the border with Ukraine on Tuesday at the end of an attempt by the authorities to deport as part of government efforts endured a month of protests against the authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko. Maria Kolesnikova, a member of the Coordinating Council was created to facilitate the opposition talks with the director of long date of a transfer of power had been arrested in the capital Minsk on Monday along with two other council members. They were driven to the border early Tuesday, where officials have told them to cross into Ukraine. When they arrived in a no man’s land between the countries, Kolesnikova crack to distribute their passport into small pieces to make it impossible for the authorities. She remained in custody for the Belarusian side of the border after the incident. Two other members of the Council, who crossed in Ukraine, Ivan Kravtsov and Anton Rodnenkov described Kolesnikova action with open admiration. “She screams that she is not going anywhere,” said Rodnenkov at a press conference in Kiev. “Sitting in the car, he saw her go in the front seat and tore into small fragments, which crumpled and thrown out the window. After that, he opened the back door and went back to the Belarusian border.” He said “Maria is in great shape, full of energy and spirit, as always. “Anton Bychkovsky, committee spokesman border with Belarus, the Belarusian authorities confirmed the case, but declined to give details of what is happening at the border. Belarus has a tactic similar to that used to force other opposition, to leave the country, seeking to end a month demonstrations that followed the re-election of Lukashenko in a vote that protesters be seen as rigged. Lukashenko has ruled the country for 26 years, inexorably led to a one bar stop dissent and keep most of the economy in state hands. The 66-year-old former state farm director has rejected criticism by the United States and the European Union, said that the August 9 election was neither free nor fair, and rejected their demands to open a dialogue with the ‘opposition. In Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was considering a declaration of State, the United States and its allies, additional targeted sanctions on Belarus, and expressed concern at the attempt to deport Kalesnikava. “We praise the courage of Mrs. Kalesnikava and the Belarusian people peacefully their right to claim to choose their leaders in free and fair elections in front by the Belarus authorities unjustified violence and repression, in large bold lines of peaceful protesters including daylight and hundreds of arrests on September 6 and increasing reports of kidnappings, “said Pompey. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the largest opposition challenger Lukashenko, left the day after the election pressured by the Lithuanian authorities. Speaking on the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on Tuesday Tsikhanuskaya international sanctions against Lukashenko and other government officials. “We need international pressure on the regime, on this one, desperately waiting to start,” he said. Tsikhanouskaya said that Lukashenko has no legitimacy to steal after the vote, warned other countries against offers with the Belarusian government. “He no longer represents Belarus,” he said. To drive in separate comments about the attempt Kolesnikova, Tsikhanouskaya his praised as a “true hero” and said that “they are such actions have not been able to break the will of the people or change their desire, their country’s future. ” Kolesnikova, eineine 38, flute player who led a popular center for the arts, in politics just before the election. He led the campaign headquarters of a high potential challenger Lukashenko, and as he saw the execution and imprisoned in expenses for politics was outlawed, has joined the campaign Tsikhanouskaya. Another employee of Tsikhanouskaya, Antonina Konovalova, who died Tuesday after a court sentenced take them for participating in a protest weekend. That evening, police dispersed several hundred demonstrators in Minsk in solidarity with Kolesnikova rally and arrested at least 45 protesters, according to the Human Rights Center Viasna. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “very serious concern” expressed in “the repeated use of force against peaceful protesters and reported pressure on opposition activists of civil society,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric unsaid. The message of the head of the United Nations that “should the Belarusian people will be able to exercise their political and constitutional rights in peace in a democratic environment,” the spokesman said, and “the current crisis that we see in Belarus must be resolved through inclusive dialogue between the Belarusian people. “, after a brutal crackdown against protesters by police in the early days after the vote, sparked international outrage and swelled the ranks of the demonstrators, the authorities of Belarus have threats and selective arrests activists and turned on the demonstrators. the prosecutor’s office of Belarus has opened a criminal investigation against members of the Coordinating Council, undermining national security accused of calling through a transition of power. Several board members have been arrested and others were called in for questioning. Last week Pavel Latushko, a former culture minister and ambassador to France, who came to the opposition council, traveled to Poland to threats and interrogated compared. His departure came a day after Lukashenko warned that Latushko a “red line” had passed and would make prosecution. Tsikhanouskaya partner Olga Kovalkova moved to Poland on Saturday after authorities threatened to jail if she wanted to leave the country for a long period of time. Kovalkova told agents of the Belarusian Committee for State Security, or KGB, put them in a car, where they lie on the ground has been said, not knowing where they took them. She was asked in no man’s land between Belarus and Poland border and Polish border officials to take a direct bus driver for Poland, settled on board. The French Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation “of arbitrary arrests and the practice of forced exile of some members of the Coordination Council, as well as many protesters in recent days.” We urge the Belarusian authorities to immediately cease the actions to “liberate those detained arbitrarily,” and open a national dialogue, the ministry said. Despite the pressure on opposition activists, the protests continued every day and the crowds have swelled weekends. An estimated 100,000 a rally on Sunday, despite the heavy rain has visited. In an interview with Russian journalists, Lukashenko said that “tragic” for him to face massive protests, but insists that he has retained the support of most of the country. “I have to protect what has been built with our own hands, the people who built them to protect, and they are the vast majority,” he said. Under Western criticism Lukashenko Moscow’s support, leaving his main sponsor and ally. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is willing to police on Belarus, at the request of Lukashenka to send when demonstrations turn violent, but it is not yet necessary. Lukashenko has accused the United States of instigating the protests and warned that Russia could provide similar demonstrations in the future. “If Belarus collapses today, Russia will come later,” he said. Observers say Lukashenko hopes curb an unspecified date the protests with selective repression against the opposition leader and appease public anger with vague constitutional reform talks and a new election. The Kremlin has recognized his promise of such reform. “The authorities clearly setting – pushed all reinforce the country’s leaders and repression against protesters, while a dialogue on constitutional reform under the auspices of the Kremlin to imitate,” said Valery Karbalevich, an independent analyst Minsk. “Lukashenko hopes that the rally is handled 100,000 after the expulsion of the opposition leaders in the sand, but so far it has the opposite effect should help fuel more protests”. ___ Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Edith M. Lederer at, Poland, contributed to the United Nations, Elaine Ganley in Paris and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw to this report. image Copyright AP Photo / Dmitry Lovetsky
deporting Belarus activist Maria Kolesnikova resist effort in Ukraine
