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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Chris Baynes

Last opposition leader in Belarus ‘abducted by masked men’ as Lukashenko prepares for Moscow talks

Photograph: AFP via Getty Images

The last female Belarusian opposition leader left in the country has reportedly been abducted by masked men in Minsk as emboldened authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko looks to crush opposition to his presidency.

Maria Kolesnikova was snatched from the street and bundled into a minibus in the centre of the capital on Monday, a witness told local media.  

Her apparent kidnapping came after police arrested hundreds of protesters across the country on Sunday as part of crackdown on opposition to Mr Lukashenko, whose hand has apparently been strengthened by increasingly vocal support from Russia in the face of growing international condemnation and looming sanctions.

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