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Belarus court sentences opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova to 11 years in prison

The Alarabiya reported according to AFP, a court in Belarus on Monday sentenced key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova, who led mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko last year, to 11 years in prison on national security charges.
Kolesnikova’s lawyer Maxim Znak was also handed a 10-year prison sentence, according to the press service of onetime presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, whose campaign Kolesnikova managed.
Kolesnikova is the only major leader of last year’s unprecedented protests still in Belarus. She has been in custody for a year, after resisting a forced deportation by ripping up her passport.
In power since 1994, Lukashenko has been cracking down on opponents since the protests, which erupted when he claimed victory in a disputed election.

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.
“Dear spectators, we are happy to see you,” Znak, who was standing next to her, said in the video before the sentence was read out.
Read more: Russia renews cyber attack on the German parliament
Kolesnikova -- a 39-year-old former flute player in the country’s philharmonic orchestra -- has become a symbol of the protest movement in Belarus.
She was arrested last September, when KGB agents put a sack over her head, pushed her into a minibus and drove her to the Ukrainian border.
She resisted the attempt to throw her out of the country by reportedly jumping out of the car.
Kolesnikova was part of a female trio together with opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and another campaign partner, Veronika Tsepkalo, leading last summer’s rallies against Belarus’s moustachioed leader.
Tikhanovskaya -- who stood for president in place of her jailed husband -- and Tsepkalo both fled Belarus to EU countries.
Tikhanovskaya says she was the true winner of the August presidential vote.
Source: alarabiya
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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