The United States is deeply concerned about the Belarusian government’s forced expulsion of opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday. The top U.S. diplomat said the United States and other countries are considering sanctions against Belarus in response.
In a statement, Pompeo said, “We applaud the courage of Ms. Kolesnikova and the people of Belarus who have peacefully defended their right to choose their leader in free and fair elections in the face of unjust violence and repression by the Belarusian authorities, including the beating of peaceful marchers in broad daylight on September 6 and the arrest of hundreds of people, as well as an ever-increasing number of incarcerations.”
He said the possible sanctions are aimed at “holding accountable those involved in human rights violations and repression in Belarus.
Kolesnikova was detained on Monday along with two other opposition members, Anton Rodenkov and Ivan Kravtsov. On Tuesday they were driven by car to the border between Belarus and Ukraine, where Kolesnikova tore up her passport and was held on the Belarusian side.
Rodnekov and Kravtsov, meanwhile, crossed the border and arrived in Ukraine.
At a press conference in Kiev, Rodnekov described, “She shouted that she wasn’t going anywhere.” “She was sitting in the car and when she saw her passport in the front seat, she tore it into many small pieces, crumpled them up and threw them out the window. After that, she opened the car door and turned back toward the Belarus border.”
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement expressing deep concern about “the repeated use of force against peaceful demonstrators and the reported pressure exerted on opposition civil society activists.
Following the August 9 elections, tens of thousands of people turned out for five weeks of protests. Longtime President Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of the election, but opposition parties, the United States, and the European Union accused the election of being rigged.
More than 7,000 protesters have been arrested, and over the course of the month of protests, there has been ample evidence of abuse and torture. At least four deaths have been reported during the demonstrations.
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