In this file photo taken on August 04, 2021 Maria Kolesnikova, the last remaining protest leader still in Belarus, smiles inside the defendants’ cage at the opening of her trial on charges of undermining national security, conspiring to seize power and creating an extremist group, in Minsk. – A court in Belarus sentenced key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova — who led mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko last year — to 11 years in prison on national security charges.
Kolesnikova, 39, is the only major leader of last year’s mass protests still in Belarus and has been in custody for a year after resisting deportation by ripping up her passport. Germany called the sentencing “unjustified” and the European Union condemned it as a “blatant disrespect” of rights.Kolesnikova — a former flute player in the country’s philharmonic orchestra — has become a symbol of the protest movement in Belarus.
Tikhanovskaya, who stood for president in place of her jailed husband and claims she won the election, called the pair “heroes” after the sentencing. Kolesnikova and Znak were part of a seven-member Coordination Council set up in response to the disputed August election to oversee a peaceful transition of power.