According to the Investigative Committee, a preventive measure has been chosen in the form of detention with regard to members of the Coordination Council Maryia Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak. It was done with the approval of the prosecutor. Maryia’s lawyer Illya Saley was also detained.
They are suspects in a criminal case on public calls for actions aimed at causing damage to national security (part 3 of Art. 361 of the Criminal Code), initiated by the General Prosecutor’s Office.
“In the course of the investigation, evidence was obtained that testifies to fact that the individuals of a non-governmental organization called the Coordination Council have committed actions aimed at destabilizing the socio-political, economic and informational situation in the country, causing damage to the national security of the Republic of Belarus. These actions were carried out using the media and Internet resources,” the IC press release says.
With regard to Maryia Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak, with the approval of the prosecutor, a preventive measure was chosen in the form of detention. Illya Saley, Kalesnikava’s lawyer, was also detained.
Maksim Znak and Illya Saley were detained on September 9.
On September 7, the special services kidnapped Maryia Kalesnikava and planned to forcibly take her abroad. However, the operations of the special services failed: in the neutral zone on the border, Maryia tore her passport, jumped out of the car and returned to Belarusian territory. It has been reported that Kalesnikava is being held in pre-trial detention center No. 1. Her apartment has been searched.
