Maria Kolesnikova, a 39-year-old former flute player in the Belarus philharmonic orchestra, became a symbol of the country's protest movement last year.
A court in Belarus has sentenced key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova to 11 years in prison on national security charges, in a ruling decried by human rights activists.Kolesnikova became an icon of Belarus's protest movement over a disputed presidential election last yearAmnesty International condemned the ruling as a tactic to "crush" BelarusiansHer lawyer Maxim Znak, who has also been in custody, was handed a 10-year prison sentence.
In a video from inside the court shown by Russian media, Kolesnikova — who was handcuffed inside a defendant's cage — made a heart-shaped symbol with her hands, which she often did at protest rallies.She was smiling and wearing her signature dark red lipstick. The pair were tried behind closed doors, with their families only allowed to be present at the sentencing hearing.
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