Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava briefly met her father, Alyaksandr Kalesnikau, for the first time since December 2022, former opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich announced on November 12 on Telegram.
Belarusian online outlet Nasha Niva also reported on the brief reunion, citing former political prisoners who said the location in the photo appeared to be a prison hospital. The report said it was not known whether Kalesnikava was undergoing treatment at the hospital or whether she was brought from her jail cell.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikahnouskaya wrote on X that she is "deeply relieved" that Kalesnikava has been allowed to meet with her father.
"She has been kept incommunicado for more than 600 days, starved & isolated from her family. Now, we must keep up the pressure to break the isolation of other political prisoners & free them all!" Tsikhanouskaya wrote.
Kalesnikava, a prominent critic of Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has been in prison since September 2020. Following her kidnapping by security forces in Minsk, she was taken to the Ukrainian border, where officials attempted to expel her. Kalesnikava resisted by tearing up her passport and demanding to remain in her home country. She was subsequently detained again.
SEE ALSO: Polish President Refuses Group Photo At COP29 Summit Due To 'Lukashenka's Presence'In September 2021, a Minsk court sentenced her to 11 years in prison on charges including conspiracy to seize power, calling for actions harmful to national security, and creating or managing an extremist organization. Her trial, held behind closed doors, included fellow opposition figure Maksim Znak, who was also convicted and handed a 10-year prison term.
Lukashenka said last month he might consider pardoning Kalesnikava if she requested it.
Pratasevich, once a vocal opposition blogger, was detained in May 2021 after Belarus forced a Ryanair flight carrying him to land in Minsk. He was sentenced to prison but later pardoned after cooperating with authorities.
His ties to opposition media outlet Nexta Live and the 2020 anti-Lukashenka protests brought him into conflict with the regime.
After his arrest he changed his stance, stopped criticizing Lukashenka and his government, and stated he was ready to serve as a mediator between the government officials and self-exiled Belarusians who want to return to their homeland.