Maria Kalesnikava became a symbol of the Belarusian protest movement against leader Alexander Lukashenko after he violently suppressed mass demonstrations in 2020. On September 7, 2020, she was forcibly taken by masked officers, driven to the Ukrainian border, and threatened with expulsion. To prevent her deportation, she tore her passport into pieces. At her trial, she received an 11-year sentence on charges including conspiracy to seize power and was labeled a terrorist. Kalesnikava was released along with 122 others following negotiations between Lukashenko and U. S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy.
Kalesnikava, now 43, was a flautist who lived in Germany for 12 years before entering politics unexpectedly. Alongside Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo, she campaigned against Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election, filling the void left by jailed male candidates. They united behind Tsikhanouskaya as their leader, quickly gaining considerable support and surprising the authorities with massive crowds.
After Babaryka’s arrest, Kalesnikava initially struggled in her speeches but grew more confident as a public speaker. Despite Lukashenko claiming victory in the election, Tsikhanouskaya accused him of vote rigging, a claim supported by Western governments. This led to large-scale protests and numerous arrests. While many opposition figures fled, Kalesnikava chose to remain in Belarus.
Following her arrest, she became a rallying point for protesters. For most of her over five years in prison, she was held incommunicado and faced harsh conditions, including solitary confinement and inadequate medical care. Her sister described her conditions as torturous, and the family feared for her life. In 2024, her father was allowed a brief visit, and images surfaced showing her in a prison hospital.
With information from Reuters
