A Belarusian opposition leader ‘tore up her passport’ on Tuesday to stop authorities forcibly evicting her across the Ukrainian border. Maria Kolesnikova, the last of three
Women who spearheaded the revolution to remain in the country, was abducted from the streets of Minsk on Monday. More than 24 hours later, the Belarusian State Border Committee said that she was detained on Tuesday morning at the border while trying to “illegally cross” into
Ukraine. However, the respected Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted an unnamed security source, saying that Ms Kolesnikova ripped up her passport while she was “essentially getting deported” by Belarusian authorities. Hundreds of people rallied in Minsk yesterday/TUES evening to demand Ms Kolesnikova's release. Riot
police violently arrested several from the crowd, according to footage released by Tut.by website. Ms Kolesnikova was one of the few remaining free members of the Coordination Council set up by the opposition to facilitate possible transition talks with President Lukashenko. Faced with snowballing public discontent, Mr Lukashenko on Tuesday made a rare admission that he may have overstayed his welcome as he sat down with
Russian state media for his first interview since re-election on Aug 9.