Protesting Detainment, Maria Kolesnikowa Wins Wallraff Award
Recognition Bestowed upon Belarusian Dissidents: Wallraff Prize - Award presented to Belarusian resistance leaders
Maria Kolesnikowa, a 43-year-old Belarusian civil rights activist and flautist, who is currently detained in her homeland, and the Belarusian Association of Journalists have received this year's Günter Wallraff Award for Press Freedom and Human Rights.
Born in Minsk, the heart of Belarus, this courageous woman spent years in Germany before returning to her native soil in search of change. The authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko (70) has been the reigning power in the country for far too long.
In 2020, Kolesnikowa became a prime target for government oppression. After her daring involvement in the presidential election as part of the opposition campaign for Viktar Babaryka, she was kidnapped and held in Minsk without any trace. But last November, her father was finally granted a brief visit after a solid 600 days of solitary confinement.
Kolesnikowa, symbolizing democratic resistance according to the Initiative for News Clarity, receives the annual €5,000 prize, funded by RTL television station. The award's namesake, Günter Wallraff (82), hails from Germany as the country's most prominent investigative journalist.
The independent Belarusian Journalists' Association continues to work tirelessly from abroad, fighting for free access to information despite the treacherous circumstances. At present, an appalling 40 journalists are currently detained in Belarus.
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Maria Kolesnikowa
Born on April 24, 1982, Kolesnikowa played a pivotal role in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, presiding over opposition candidate Viktar Babaryka's campaign. Following Babaryka's ban from running, she became a fervent member of the united opposition, supporting Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's campaign and later joining the presidium of the Coordination Council formed by the opposition to challenge Alexander Lukashenko's regime. Kolesnikowa is also the founder of the political party Razam ("Together").
In September 2020, Kolesnikowa was abducted and forcibly detained by unidentified law enforcement officers in Minsk. Her detention was part of a broader crackdown on opposition activists by the Belarusian government. In a heroic act of defiance, she tore up her passport to prevent forced expulsion and returned to Belarusian territory, where she was immediately arrested.
Kolesnikowa's fierce resistance against authoritarian repression has made her a powerful symbol in the Belarusian pro-democracy movement. In recognition of her tireless efforts in support of human rights and press freedom, she was granted the Günter Wallraff Award in 2021. This award acknowledges individuals who exemplify extraordinary dedication to human rights and freedom of speech, underscoring her role in challenging political tyranny in Belarus.
- Wallraff
- Belarus
- Journalists' Association
- Cologne
- Stuttgart
- Alexander Lukashenko
- Günter Wallraff Award
- Viktar Babaryka
- Svetlana Tikhanovskaya
- Coordination Council
- Razam
- Memory of the Nation Award
- Forced Abduction
- Opposition Activism
- Born on April 24, 1982, Maria Kolesnikowa, the 43-year-old Belarusian civil rights activist and flautist, played a pivotal role as a leader in the opposition campaign for Viktar Babaryka during the 2020 Belarusian presidential election.
- Kolesnikowa, recipient of the Günter Wallraff Award for Press Freedom and Human Rights, is also the founder of the political party Razam and a member of the Coordination Council formed by the opposition to challenge Alexander Lukashenko's regime in Belarus.
- The independent Belarusian Journalists' Association, working tirelessly from abroad, was established to fight for free access to information despite the treacherous circumstances in Belarus, where an appalling 40 journalists are currently detained.
- Günter Wallraff (82), the country's most prominent investigative journalist from Germany who hails from Cologne, had a significant influence not only in his homeland but also in the global landscape, earning him the acclaim of many recipients of the award that bears his name.
- Authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko (70), who has been ruling Belarus for far too long, has faced numerous challenges from activists like Kolesnikowa, who have shown exceptional dedication to upholding human rights and press freedom in the face of adversity.
