Maria Kolesnykova, a member of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition, was charged with conspiracy and creating an extremist group.
This was stated in a message on the official Telegram channel of ex-presidential candidate of Belarus Viktor Babarika on Friday.
The message says that Kolesnikova is accused of conspiracy to seize state power by unconstitutional means (Part 1 of Article 357 of the Criminal Code), as well as of creating and leading an extremist group (Part 1 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code).
Lawyer Maksym Znak has been charged with similar charges.
Babariko's staff reminded that back in September Maria Kolesnikova and Maksym Znak were charged with public appeals for actions aimed at harming national security (Part 3 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code).
Member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council (COC) Maria Kolesnikova was detained on September 8, 2020 at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. The authorities claimed that she tried to break through the border together with representatives of the Communist Party of Ukraine Ivan Kravtsov and Anton Rodnenkov and was pushed out of the car. However, Kravtsov and Rodnenkov later said at a press conference in Kyiv that Kolesnikova tore up her passport and left the car during the forced deportation.
At the end of December 2020, the Prosecutor General's Office opened criminal cases against a number of members of the Belarusian opposition on the facts of creating and leading an extremist group, financing its activities with the aim of seizing state power in an unconstitutional way.
The European Parliament awarded Kolesnikova together with other members of the Central Committee the Sakharov Prize for her contribution to the fight for human rights.
