Posted 2/21/2024, 5:00:00 AM
Belarusian Activist Maria Kolesnikova Marks Over 1 Year in Prison With Unknown Fate
- Belarusian activist Maria Kolesnikova has been in prison for over a year on "extremism" charges and her fate is unknown; she is one of 1,416 political prisoners
- Kolesnikova was arrested in 2020 for opposing Belarusian leader Lukashenko and sentenced to 11 years in prison
- Her sister believes she has been isolated in a punitive cell with extremely limited freedoms
- Kolesnikova tore up her passport to avoid exile and chose to go to prison to stand with fellow activists
- The families of political prisoners in Belarus need ongoing support from European countries even if street protests have diminished