@TsihanouskayaImprisoned Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova has been allowed to visit her father in prison after being denied visits, phone calls and correspondence for more than 600 days.
Photos posted on social media show the activist, wearing what appears to be a prison gown, hugging his father.
Her face bears the smile that made her famous as one of the leaders of the 2020 wave of mass protests that put unprecedented pressure on Alexander Lukashenko’s dictatorship.
It survived by responding with mass arrests, police beatings, and torture, all of which are thoroughly documented but still flatly denied by the authorities.
Peaceful protester Maria Kolesnikova was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of extremism and plotting to overthrow the government.
In September, her sister Tatiana told the BBC she feared the Belarusian regime was “slowly killing” Maria in prison. Maria has been kept in a punitive environment since March 2023, with no access to relatives or lawyers.
Tatyana therefore called for further international pressure to secure her sister’s release and the freedom of many other political prisoners in Belarus.
And now she has posted a photo of her new prison to X with the caption: “I can’t believe it!”
The family has not yet shared any information about her health condition.
In a bizarre twist, the photo was first published on Telegram by Roman Protasevic, a former opposition journalist who was arrested when a Ryanair flight was forced to land over Belarus. He received a presidential pardon and early release and is currently cooperating with authorities.
Mr. Protasevich did not provide details about the situation or photos of Maria and her father.
Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since the early 1990s, has announced that he will hold another presidential election in January that will not allow genuine opposition candidates to participate.
Recently, perhaps hoping to improve his image, he has begun pardoning small groups of prisoners.
Since the summer, more than 70 people have been released, including those imprisoned for participating in the 2020 protests, most of whom were nearing the end of their sentences or were ill.
Last week it was announced that another group imprisoned for “extremism” would be pardoned. The magazine promised “big news” and said two women were on the list.
But Tatiana told the BBC she did not believe her sister’s sudden reappearance to visit her in prison meant she would be released.
Getty ImagesSvetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is currently in exile after running for election with Lukashenko, affectionately called Maria “Masha” and expressed “joy” to see her reunited with her father, as she told Telegram posted a short video.
“I’m really happy to see the smiles that have charmed us in 2020 and remain the same despite everything you’ve been through,” Tikhanovskaya said.
Writing in X, she added: “Now we must break the isolation of other political prisoners and keep up the pressure to free them all!”
Tikhanovskaya’s husband, Sergei, is one of those still in prison, as well as other political prisoners, including Viktor Babariko, another 2020 presidential candidate, who has been in prison for months. I have not been able to contact you for a long time.
Franak Viakolka, an adviser to Mr Tikhanovskaya, told the BBC that Mr Lukashenko’s gesture towards Maria was a token gesture.
“Lukashenko is now afraid of making big moves and changes before a fake election, i.e. his re-election. Just showing Maria does not threaten him, but he sees it as a big gesture of humanity. We want to show that, but of course that’s not the case,” believes Viacolca.
He attributed this action to recent increased international attention and pressure.
Lukashenko has long been an international pariah, with the European Union accusing the 2020 election results of being “fabricated”.
Regarding those still detained, Viacolca said: “I dream of the moment when my friends and colleagues will be released. But I’m a realist.”
