In plain sight
Unidentified masked men snatched the leading Belarusian opposition figure, Maria Kolesnikova, from the street in the centre of the capital, Minsk, on Monday and drove her away in a minivan, witnesses told local media.
Kolesnikova was one of the campaign partners of the opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claimed victory against the long-ruling president, Alexander Lukashenko, in disputed elections on 9 August.
Kolesnikova was reportedly seized soon after 10am local time while walking close to Minsk’s national art museum. Three other members of the opposition coordination council have also vanished, in what appears to be a targeted attempt by the authorities to wipe out the protest movement.
After, it appears, rigging the election.
Lukashenko’s victory – in a poll widely seen as rigged – has sparked mass protests. On Sunday, more than 100,000 people marched on the president’s residence, calling on him to quit. Riot police wearing balaclavas arrested 633 people. Gangs of pro-government thugs beat up protesters on their way home.
This is very bad.
In the past, when the United States had a President who had some degree of respect and moral authority, one might have expected some sort of official, White House statement. Now there is only a “president” who must be shown where Belarus is on a bright, colourful map, between spoons of ice cream, and swigs from his sippy cup.
I suppose we should be grateful that Trump hasn’t congratulated Lukashenko on succeeding in doing what he wanted to do himself; lock Clinton up when he stole the presidency from her in a rigged election.
We know he’s thinking it though…while also wondering who the hell Lukashenko is.