Maria Kolesnikova, the last remaining protest leader still in Belarus, danced and smiled as she went on trial on Wednesday accused of violating national security when she challenged President Alexander Lukashenko’s rule last year.
France 24: Last protest leader in Belarus dances in court as trial starts
Maria Kolesnikova, the last remaining protest leader still in Belarus, smiles inside the defendants' cage at the opening of her trial on charges of undermining national security, conspiring to seize power and creating an extremist group, in Minsk on August 4, 2021. - Kolesnikova, a 39-year-old former flute player in the country's philharmonic orchestra and the only protest leader still in Belarus, has become a symbol of the protest movement in Belarus where Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has been cracking down on opponents since unprecedented protests erupted after last year's elections, deemed unfair by the West. (Photo by Ramil NASIBULIN / BELTA / AFP)
