A member of the Pussy Riot protest group says she was held by Belarusian security officials and forced to record a message of support for authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Rita Flores told the Mediazona website on March 30 that Belarusian law enforcement officers detained her in Minsk four days before and threatened to physically harm her and send her to prison for 15 years unless she agreed to either support Russia's invasion of Ukraine or Lukashenka.
"I had to say that everything happening in Ukraine is as it should be, that we must kill these fascists and Nazis, and that war is the only way to solve this problem. I squealed and said that I couldn't say that and I never would in my life," she said.
Flores said she was then forced to record a video expressing support for Lukashenka. Afterward, police took a picture of her next to posters with symbols supporting Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
After that, Flores says she was ordered to immediately leave Belarus and is now barred from entering the country for 10 years.
There was no immediate confirmation of the incident by Belarusian officials.
Last year, Flores was arrested for taking part in anti-government actions in Moscow twice and sentenced to 15 days in both cases on charges of disobeying police and pubic demonstration of Nazi symbols, which she denied, calling the charges politically motivated.
Russian Pussy Riot Member Says Forced To Record Video Supporting Lukashenka
Last year, Rita Flores was arrested for taking part in anti-government actions in Moscow twice and sentenced to 15 days in both cases.