Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova being held on suspicion of state treason
Maria Kolesnikova leader was snatched in street by masked men on Monday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Belarusian opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova is being detained under suspicion of state treason, as part of a criminal case involving an attempt to seize power, the Russian news agency RIA cited her lawyer as saying on Wednesday.
Ms Kolesnikova was snatched in the street by masked men on Monday. She is a prominent leader of the ongoing protests demanding the resignation of Alexander Lukashenko following a 9 August presidential election that the opposition says was rigged. Mr Lukashenko denies vote-rigging.
Nobel prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich, one of Ms Kolesnikova's allies, accused the Belarus authorities of terrorising their own people on Wednesday as another opposition politician was detained by masked men in plain clothes.
Reuters