Belarusian activist, Maria Kolesnikova is sentenced to 11 years in prison. Let’s find out why she was arrested in the first place.
Maria Kolesnikova is a Belarusian musician, political activist, and former teacher. She is also the recipient of the 2021 International Women of Courage Award.
Kolesnikova began her career as a music teacher in Minsk. She was also a flute player at the National Academic Concert Orchestra.
Maria graduated as a flutist and conductor from the Belarusian State Academy of Music. Moreover, she earned a Master’s in Early Music and Neue Musik from the State University of Music and Performing Arts.
Kolesnikova then organized various national and international projects in Germany and Belarus. She also co-founded Artemp and served as an art director for the OK16 culture club.
Maria stepped into the political field as a presidential campaign manager for Viktar Babaryka in 2020. Then, she joined the campaign Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and participate in various rallies.
Kolesnikova became a member of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She also announced the formation of a new party, Razam in early September.
Why Is Maria Kolesnikova Arrested? Charges and Sentence
Activist Maria Kolesnikova was allegedly kidnapped on 7 September 2021 and a day later, she was arrested.
She was found at the border crossing with Ukraine. The reports of the incident are conflicting. Some say Maria was trying to cross Ukraine while others mentioned that she tore her passport.
Kolesnikova was kept in the Minsk jail and was transferred later to Zhodino. She was charged with ‘actions aimed at undermining Belarusian national security.
In February of 2021, Maria and her attorney were accused of ‘conspiracy to seize state power in an unconstitutional manner’ and ‘establishing and leading an extremist organization’.
After several pre-trials and 10 months in jail, Kolesnikova was sentenced to 11 years of prison. She still refuses to call herself guilty and considers the charges absurd.
Meet Maria Kolesnikova Husband & Family
Maria Kolesnikova, 39, has not exposed her husband to the limelight.
She seems like a married woman. However, she has not publicly announced her relationship status.
However, Maria seems to be real close with her attorney and politician, Maxim Znak.
Kolesnikova was raised in a family of engineers.
Further, she is backed by her father Aliaksandar Kalesnikau, and sister Tatsiana.
Maria Kolesnikova Update: Where Is She Now?
As of now, Maria Kolesnikova is in prison in Belarus.
She is sentenced to 11 years of detention in a colony of the usual regime. She is currently held in Belarus, Eastern Europe.
The citizens of Belarus have divided themselves as supporters and opposers of Maria. The comments on her Instagram handle are evidence of it.
Kolesnikova is in prison but someone in her confidence is keeping the account active. She has a username of @kalesnikava with 98.7K followers.