Politician and representative of the Coordination Council for members of the Belarusian opposition Maria Kolesnikova. Photo: ReutersMasked men detained Belarusian protest leader Maria Kolesnikova in central Minsk on Monday morning and drove her away in a van and two of her allies also disappeared later, the opposition movement said. Security forces detained 633 protesters, Belarusian authorities said. MASKED MENPolice in Minsk were cited by Russia's Interfax news agency as saying they had not detained Kolesnikova. The opposition council said two other activists, Anton Rodnenkov and Ivan Kravtsov, disappeared soon afterwards and said the authorities appeared to be systematically targeting its members.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 07, 2020 20:37 UTC