After days of violent protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, DW spoke to opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova about Belarus’ political future — and her hope that the country will never be the same.
Maria Kolesnikova is one of a three opposition leaders who have been pushing to oust longtime president Alexander Lukashenko. She is a close ally of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who ran for president on a platform of holding new free and fair elections.
Kolesnikova headed the campaign of opposition candidate Viktor Babariko, who was arrested on fraud charges critics say were politically motivated. Kolesnikova spoke with DW at Babariko’s campaign office.
On social media, some people have condemned the fact that Tsikhanouskaya left the country this week, calling her actions a betrayal. What do you think about that?
I don’t think her actions were a betrayal. I think all of Sviatlana’s actions in the past three months have been heroic. I personally completely support Sviatlana. My team supports her decision.
It’s anyone’s guess what she might have been discussing for three hours with high-ranking officials from the security services, when she actually came to the offices of the Central Electoral Commission in order to lodge a complaint [about the election results — Editor’s note].
There has been unprecedented pressure on Sviatlana for the past three months and the government was clearly trying to put her under pressure in this case as well. That is why I support Sviatlana — I tell her that she is a hero.
Two of your closest allies, Tsikhanouskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo [the wife of Valery Tsepkalo, an opposition candidate who fled the country ahead of the elections — Editor’s note] have left Belarus. You are the only one from the united opposition campaign who has remained in the country. And you were arrested just before election day, then the authorities said they had arrested the wrong person and let you go. Are you not afraid that you could be arrested again — and that you might not be let out so quickly?
Davo says
If Belarus becomes a democracy, it may find itself under the same pressure that Putin has placed on Russia’s only democratic ally: Armenia.
This will make Armenia even more valuable to Russia.
Stay strong, Armenia and Artsakh, and realize your worth.