Belarus opposition lawyer detained by ‘masked men’

France 24 reports….

Masked men on Wednesday detained one of the last high-profile opposition figures still free in Belarus, his colleagues said, while Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich complained of intimidation.

Maxim Znak, who had worked as a lawyer for jailed presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, had been due to participate in a video call but did not show up, instead sending a message with the word “masks”, Babaryko’s press service said.

It said a witness had also seen Znak, 39, being led down the street near his offices by several men in civilian clothes and wearing masks.

Along with Alexievich, Znak was the last of the seven members of the opposition Coordination Council’s governing presidium to remain free in Belarus.

The council was set up to ensure a peaceful transfer of power after opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya rejected President Alexander Lukashenko’s claim to have been re-elected to a sixth term in an August 9 vote.

Source:  https://www.france24.com/en/20200909-belarus-opposition-lawyer-detained-by-masked-men-as-lukashenko-clings-to-power