Maryya Kalesnikava, a key figure in the Belarusian opposition and a symbol of defiant protests against the country's authoritarian regime, has been held incommunicado in prison for 18 months amid fears over her reportedly declining state of health.
Kalesnikava was an opposition activist who in 2020 became a prominent leader of protests demanding the resignation of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka following a disputed presidential election. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison in September 2021.
SEE ALSO: 'Remember Us': New Year's Wishes From Jailed BelarusiansThere has been no information on Kalesnikava for well over a year. Sources earlier this year told RFE/RL that she was placed in solitary confinement more than a year ago a violation of Belarusian law, which says the maximum period in solitary confinement is six months.
The Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
“I can only pray to God that she is alive. The authorities ignore my requests for meetings and letters. It's a terrible feeling of helplessness for a father,” her father, Alyaksandr Kalesnikau, was quoted by AP as saying on October 14 by phone.
Kalesnikava’s unwavering resistance to authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has not only led to her imprisonment but has also raised international concern about the conditions under which political prisoners are held in Belarus.
Kalesnikava and fellow opposition figure Maksim Znak were sentenced to 11 years and 10 years in prison, respectively, in September 2021 on charges that included extremism, conspiracy to seize power, and calls for actions damaging national security.
Both opposition figures rejected these charges, viewing them as politically motivated in the wake of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, where mass protests erupted after Lukashenka’s widely disputed victory.
Kalesnikava gained prominence as a coordinator for would-be presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, and later as an ally of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition candidate who is believed by many Belarusians to have won the election.
Following her abduction on September 7, 2020, Kalesnikava’s defiance at the border -- ripping up her passport to prevent forced exile -- led to her detention, symbolizing her resolute opposition to the regime.
Since her imprisonment, Kalesnikava’s family has had no contact with her for the past 18 months. The last known communication from her came in February 2023, when she managed to send a letter.
Her father said he has made several attempts to visit his daughter at the Homel women’s colony where she is incarcerated, but he said all efforts have been met with indifference from prison authorities.
Guards have responded that if she does not call or write, it is because “she does not want to,” he said.
"It's a terrible feeling of helplessness for a father,” Alyaksandr Kalesnikau was quoted by AP as saying on October 14.
Former inmates from the same prison colony have reported alarming details about Kalesnikava’s deteriorating health.
According to one former prisoner, Kalesnikava was hospitalized around May or June 2023, although specifics surrounding her condition remain unknown.
The information, relayed by a woman who identified herself as Natallya, sheds light on the inhumane treatment Kalesnikava endures in custody, with reports suggesting that she is suffering from malnutrition, weighing only 45 kilograms.
Tatsyana Khomich, Kalesnikava's sister who resides outside Belarus, voiced fears that Kalesnikava’s life is in grave danger.
“They are slowly killing Maryya,” Khomich said.
According to Khomich, Kalesnikava’s letters are torn up by prison staff and the mental toll of isolation is exacerbated by physical neglect.
Kalesnikava’s case is emblematic of the brutal suppression of dissent in Belarus.
The mass protests following the 2020 election were met with violent crackdowns by security forces, and many opposition leaders, activists, and ordinary citizens have since been imprisoned or forced into exile.
While international human rights organizations have condemned these actions, the regime has persisted in silencing its critics, often employing draconian measures like incommunicado detention to stifle opposition voices.