Moscow:
A court in Belarus sentenced one of the country’s most prominent opposition figures, Maria Kolesnikova, to 11 years in prison on Monday following she led unprecedented protests against President Alexander Lukashenko last year.
A defiant Kolesnikova smiled and made her signature heart-shaped hand symbol for the duration of the court hearing in Minsk, exactly where lawyer and fellow opposition activist Maxim Znak was also handed a 10-year sentence.
During the closed-door trial authorities had accused the pair of violating national safety and conspiring to seize energy.
Kolesnikova, 39, is the only main leader of last year’s mass protests nevertheless in Belarus and has been in custody for a year following resisting deportation by ripping up her passport.
Lukashenko, in energy considering that 1994, has been cracking down on opponents considering that the protests, which erupted when he claimed victory in a disputed election.
A video from inside the courtroom showed the handcuffed pair grinning in the defendant’s cage ahead of the ruling.
‘Blatant disrespect’
Kolesnikova — who wore her trademark dark red lipstick and a black dress — made the heart-shaped symbol with her hands, which she generally did at protest rallies.
Standing next to her, Znak pretended he was inviting an audience into a theatre.
“Dear spectators, we are happy to see you,” mentioned the 40-year-old.
The EU condemned the ruling as a “blatant disrespect” of rights and Britain mentioned it was an “assault on the defenders of democracy.”
“Regrettably, these sentencings are further evidence of the regime’s total disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus,” added the US State Department.
Amnesty International mentioned the ruling was “designed to crush the hopes” of a generation of Belarusians.
Kolesnikova — a former flute player in the country’s philharmonic orchestra — has develop into a symbol of the protest movement in Belarus.
She had danced inside the defendant cage when the trial, which authorities mentioned had to be closed for the reason that it contained state secrets, opened last month.
Last September, KGB agents place a sack more than her head, pushed her into a minibus and drove her to the Ukrainian border.
She resisted the try to throw her out of the nation by ripping up her passport.
Kolesnikova was portion of a female trio of protest leaders along with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo, each of whom fled the nation.
Tikhanovskaya, who stood for president in location of her jailed husband and claims she won the election, known as the pair “heroes” following the sentencing.
“The regime wants us to see them crushed and exhausted. But look: they are smiling and dancing,” Tikhanovskaya, who is now based in Lithuania, mentioned on Twitter.
The workplace of one-time presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, whose campaign was managed by Kolesnikova, published photographs of some of her supporters lining up outdoors the Minsk court.
Kolesnikova and Znak had worked for Babaryko, who in July was jailed for 14 years on fraud charges.
“Maria and Max went through all the stages of political persecution with dignity,” Babaryko’s workplace mentioned in a statement.
Impassioned address
It quoted Kolesnikova’s lawyer as saying that she delivered an impassioned final address to the court last week about the “future of a free Belarus”.
Kolesnikova and Znak had been portion of a seven-member Coordination Council set up in response to the disputed August election to oversee a peaceful transition of energy.
Western nations have piled sanctions on Lukashenko’s regime more than the therapy of opposition activists.
But the moustachioed strongman has shown no sign of stepping down and maintains the backing of crucial ally Russia.
He is due in Moscow this week to meet with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
According to rights group Viasna, there had been 659 political prisoners in Belarus as of Monday, such as Kolesnikova and Znak.
Lukashenko faced a international outcry in May when a passenger plane was forced to land in Minsk and a dissident onboard was arrested.
Belarus was once again in the international spotlight in August, following an athlete mentioned her group attempted to force her to leave the Tokyo Olympics and an exiled opposition activist was identified hanged in a park in Ukraine.
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