Belarus opposition leader Maxim Znak detained by masked men: Report

In latest development in Belarus, opposition leer Maxim Znak has reportedly been detained by masked men hours before he was supposed to appear for a video meeting on September 9. Znak was detained from his office by several men who showed up in casual clos wearing face masks, local media reports said citing witnesses. Znak is a member of opposition Coordination Council that has been formed to oversee a potential transfer of power in country after disputed election. 

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incident follows reports of several or opposition leers being detained by authorities for voicing dissent against authoritarian leer Alexander Lukashenko, who recently won a sixth term in a landslide presidential poll. August 9 vote declared Lukashenko as a clear winner but garnered criticism from opposition who deunced result for being rigged in favour of 66-year-old Communist Party leer. People took to streets in large numbers following which Lukashenko ordered police to crack down on demonstrators. 

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On September 7, reports h emerged that opposition leer Maria Kolesnikova has been abducted by masked men in Central Minsk. Citing, witnesses, Kolesnikova’s campaign team said that political activist was pushed into a minibus by unidentified men in black clos. According to local media reports, three members of her team have also gone missing since n.

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US expresses concern

United States recently expressed concerns over human rights violations being carried out by authorities in Belarus. A senior Trump ministration official reportedly said that country remains concerned about development that has been taking place in Belarus, particularly talking about reports of opposition leers being threatened, forcibly expelled, or being abducted. 

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