'Freedom is worth fighting for': Belarus activists on trial

Leading opposition figures went on trial in Belarus Wednesday, part of a multi-pronged crackdown on dissent in the ex-Soviet nation that was rocked by months of protests

KYIV, Ukraine -- Leading members of the Belarusian opposition went on trial Wednesday, part of a multi-pronged crackdown on dissent in the ex-Soviet nation that was rocked by months of protests over a disputed presidential election. Maria Kolesnikova, a top member of the opposition Coordination Council, has been in custody since her arrest in September. She is accused of conspiring to seize power, creating an extremist organization and calling for actions damaging state security. The trial of Kolesnikova and lawyer Maxim Znak, another leading member of the Coordination Council who faces the same charges, started Wednesday behind closed doors at the Minsk Regional Court in the Belarusian capital. They could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted. Kolesnikova, who helped coordinate opposition protests that erupted after an August 2020 presidential vote, resisted authorities' attempts to force her to leave the country. When officers of the Belarusian security agency drove her to the border with Ukraine in September to forcibly expel her, she ripped up her passport and walked back into Belarus to face arrest.