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Belarus Opposition Leader Rips Up Passport to Thwart Forced Deportation Attempt, Says Report

She stayed on the Belarus side of the Ukrainian border and reportedly remains in custody.

The whereabouts of top Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova have been unknown since she was apprehended by masked men and bundled into a van on Monday. But, citing a Ukrainian news agency, Reuters reports Kolesnikova was driven to the Ukrainian border, where authorities ordered her to leave Belarus. Kolesnikova reportedly refused and ripped up her passport to thwart the deportation attempt. She stayed on the Belarus side of the border and reportedly remains in the custody of the Belarusian authorities. Opposition leaders Kolesnikova and Veronika Tsepkalo united behind Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to form a powerful group of women who challenged the brutal incumbent president, Alexander Lukashenko, in last month’s disputed election. Tsepkalo and Tikhanovskaya are no longer in Belarus. Kolesnikova is a member of the Coordination Council, created by the opposition to facilitate talks with Lukashenko to negotiate a peaceful transition of power.