LONDON, Sept 13 (Askume) – When Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko launched a full-blown crackdown on mass demonstrations in 2020 , Maria Kalesnikova became a symbol of protest for protesters.
Masked police seized the opposition activist from the street, put him in a van and drove him to the Ukrainian border, threatening to kill him “alive or torn to pieces”.
He tore his passport into small pieces to thwart efforts to deport him. Later, during the trial, heShe smiled and danced in the courtroom . She was sentenced to 11 years in prison for conspiracy to seize power and other charges .
Four years after her arrest, Kalesnikova, 42, is still being held in solitary confinement in a small, stinking cell with a hole in the floor for a toilet, said her sister Tatyana Khomich, citing information from sources including former inmates.
Homich reported that although she was 175 centimetres (5 ft 9 in) tall, her weight dropped to only 45 kilograms (99 lb) because the hole in her stomach made it impossible for her to tolerate most prison food.
The last time he was allowed to write to his family was in February last year. Homich was told that prison staff tore up the letters sent to him in front of him.
“I think this is a critical moment because no one can survive in these conditions for long,” he told Askume in an interview outside Belarus.
“They were basically torturing him. It wasn’t just psychological torture, it was physical torture.”
The Belarusian Interior Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on conditions at the Kalesnikava prison.
Since the beginning of July, Lukashenko has released 78 people convicted in connection with the protests , including about 1,400 people classified as political prisoners by human rights groups. Activists said more pardons were possible because of a national holiday on Sept. 17.
But Lukashenko’s critics say they see no real change in policy. All prominent democrats are behind bars, including Kalesnikava, Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bieljadsky and Desire Tsikhanousky, the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanou Skaza.
“We don’t have much time to save Maria’s life,” Homich said in a video appeal.
Lukashenko this week denied there were any political prisoners in Belarus. He said those released so far had been pardoned for a variety of reasons, including some who were sick or insane.
He said, “Why keep them there (jail), why feed them at public expense? We let them go. They are here completely under the control of law enforcement.” His office did not respond to a request for further comment.
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For Lukashenko, the mass demonstrations in 2020 were a protest against an election that the opposition and the West accused him of stealing , and a turning point in three decades of authoritarian rule.
For years he has enjoyed the benefits of being in an “alliance” with Russia – notably cheap energy – and has made great efforts to convince the West of his ability to carry out reforms.
As the protests were suppressed, he broke ties with the United States and the European Union and became grateful to President Vladimir Putin, who provided him with loans and aid.Commitment to provide additional police assistance if required .
Lukashenko allowed Russia to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from Belarus and then install tactical nuclear missiles there. In 2023, he helped Putin suppress a rebellion organized by Wagner mercenaries and played a role in last month’s east-west prisoner exchange.
Some observers believe he is uncomfortable with how dependent he is on Moscow and hopes the release of dissidents will improve relations with the EU.
Pavel Slenkin, a former Belarusian diplomat living abroad, said Lukashenko probably wants EU countries to recall their ambassadors, who – with the exception of Hungary – were recalled in 2020 to show they no longer recognise him as a leader.
“I think he is trying to reset the rules of the game with the EU,” Slenkin said.
Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus, said the release of prisoners was a return to tactics Lukashenko had used in the past to gain favour with the EU.
An EU diplomat said Lukashenko could not be trusted until all political prisoners were released. A US State Department spokesperson also called for their release; it welcomed the steps taken so far but condemned the ongoing crackdown.
Elena Maslyukova, a representative of human rights group Viasna, said Lukashenko was still jailing critics, sometimes for comments they made online years ago.
“He wants to stay in power and is trying to maneuver between Putin and the West to get the sanctions lifted, which forces them to go to war.”
Khomich, the sister of Maria Kalesnikava, said she did not expect the crackdown to end but that the West should encourage Lukashenko to release the prisoners.
When asked if Kalesnikava would be willing to ask Lukashenko for forgiveness, as other prisoners released so far have done, she replied that she was not sure: “But I hope so, if it is possible for them to provide such an opportunity.
