Maria Kolesnikova: I Had No Task To Overthrow A Tyrant, I Participated In The Election Campaign

The former political prisoner again called for a dialog with Lukashenko and the lifting of sanctions.

Former political prisoner, ex-head of the headquarters of the former presidential contender of Belarus Viktor Babariko Maria Kolesnikova said that Europe could have a dialog with Lukashenko, if its result would be the release of all political prisoners and an end to repression. She said this in interview with Russian blogger Yury Dudy.

She named the return of European embassies to Minsk, the restoration of cultural institutions and even the launch of an electric train from Minsk to Vilnius among possible steps - "to make some people just happy."

Kolesnikova also noted that the dialog may concern not only the release of political prisoners, but also the cessation of new repressions, the lifting of work restrictions and the release of people from "domestic chemistry."

Yuri Dud asked why Lukashenko might do such a thing:

- For the sake of the future of the country and children, perhaps, in terms of showing wisdom or strength... He can't help thinking about the future," Kolesnikova said.

Maria Kolesnikova also answered the question about the mistakes of 2020:

- I didn't have the task of overthrowing a tyrant. I participated in the election campaign," Kolesnikova said.

At the height of the protests in 2020, Maria Kolesnikova opposed the imposition of economic sanctions against Lukashenko's regime. On August 15, 2020, in an interview with Deutsche Welle, she said that "the time for punitive measures against the regime has not yet come." Recall, these days there were bloody crackdowns on protests across Belarus.

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