THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 12 ‘Masked men’ detain opposition lawyer Along with Svetlana , who Alexievich, a 72-year- had• worked as a lawyer old Nobel Prize-win- for jailed presidential ning author, Znak was hopeful Viktor Babaryk the last of the seven members of the op- Znak’s apparent position Coordination detention• came a Council’s governing day after the most presidium to remain prominent opposition free. figure still in Belarus, bers, press secretary Anton Rod- Maria Kolesnikova, nenkov and executive secretary was detained , told a press con- ference in Kiev that Kolesnikova AFP News had torn her passport “into small pieces” and climbed out of the asked men de - back window of the car to avoid tained one of the last expulsion. Mhigh-profile opposi- Border police said she was tion figures still free in Belarus being held pending an investi- on Wednesday, his colleagues gation. Maria Kolesnikova had gone missing on said, the latest in a series of de- Kolesnikova had gone miss- Monday, with witnesses saying she was tentions and expulsions of those ing on Monday, with witnesses bundled into a minibus by unidentified leading mass protests. Opposition figures in Belarus have been detained or forced to leave the country in an intensifying crackdown by President saying she was bundled into a masked men on the street in Maxim Znak, who had worked minibus by unidentified masked as a lawyer for jailed presidential men on the street in Minsk. peoples, and unscrupulous pol- hopeful Viktor Babaryko, had Kolesnikova, 38, is the only iticians to damage the interests been due to participate in a video one of the trio of women who of both Belarus and Russia,” she call but did not show up, instead fronted Tikhanovskaya’s cam- said. No date has been set, but sending the word “masks” to the paign still in Belarus. Lukashenko is preparing to trav- group, Babaryko’s press service Tikhanovskaya left the coun- el to for talks with Rus- said. try under pressure from the au- sian President Vladimir Putin. It said a witness had also seen thorities and was granted refuge Putin quickly congratulated Znak, 39, being led down the in EU member state Lithuania. Lukashenko on his re-election street near his offices by sever- Her other campaign partner, last month and has offered Rus- al men in civilian clothes and , is now in sia’s support. wearing masks. Ukraine. In the interview with Russian Along with Svetlana Alex- Tikhanovskaya on Wednesday journalists, Lukashenko said he ievich, a 72-year-old Nobel called on Russians not to believe did not recognise the Council as Prize-winning author, Znak was propaganda trying to “poison” the opposition and warned that the last of the seven members ties between the two peoples if his government falls, “Russia of the opposition Coordination and thanked those backing Be- will be next”. Council’s governing presidium larusians’ “fight for freedom”. to remain free. Her first major address to Rus- Others have been detained or sians came after Lukashenko Ukraine’s forced to leave Belarus, in an gave a wide-ranging interview border is open intensifying crackdown by Pres- to a group of journalists from ident Alexander Lukashenko’s Russian state media on Tuesday. to Belarusians, regime over a disputed election. “It is very important not to Znak’s apparent detention damage ties between the two says foreign came a day after the most prom- countries,” 37-year-old Tikhano- inent opposition figure still in vskaya said in the video address. minister Belarus, Maria Kolesnikova, was “Let’s not allow propaganda to Reuters | Lisbon detained at the Ukrainian border poison ties between two friendly Ukraine’s Foreign Minister after she prevented authorities strations of Lukashenko’s 26- demand he resign. arrests, deadly violence against Dmytro Kuleba said yester- from expelling her by tearing year rule, with tens of thousands Lukashenko’s security servic- protesters and a campaign of in- day that his country was open up her passport and jumping taking to the streets for weeks to es have hit back with waves of timidation and expulsion against to the citizens of Belarus but out of a car. opposition leaders. would react ‘harshly’ to any The Coordination Council Kolesnikova’s fate was un- attempts by Belarusian or Rus- was set up to ensure a peace - Kolesnikova had gone missing on known after the dramatic events sian intelligence services to ful transfer of power after main on Wednesday, when she and abuse that openness. opposition candidate Svetla- Monday, with witnesses saying two other members of the Coun- Speaking at an event in na Tikhanovskaya rejected she was bundled into a minibus by cil were taken in a car to the Lisbon, Kuleba also said any Lukashenko’s claim to have been buffer zone between the Bela- Maxim Znak, who had worked as a strengthening of Russia’s po- re-elected to a sixth term in an unidentified masked men on the rusian and Ukrainian borders. lawyer for jailed presidential hopeful sition in Belarus as a result of August 9 vote. Viktor Babaryko, had been due to the unrest there was a threat The election has sparked the street in Minsk. Appeal to Russians participate in a video call but did not to Ukraine’s national security. biggest anti-government demon- The other two council mem- show up

US readies bans on cotton, tomato imports from China’s Xinjiang Reuters | Washington ments based on suspicion of In Beijing on Wednesday, a ply chains related to cotton tex- and cotton yarn, which may be forced-labor involvement under foreign ministry spokesman dis- tiles and tomatoes coming out of enough to make S Customs and Border Pro- long-standing US laws to combat missed the orders as a pretext to Xinjiang,” Smith, an executive textiles for Utection officials have pre- human trafficking, child labor target Chinese firms. assistant commissioner, said in the United pared orders to block imports and other human rights abuses. “I think the US cares nothing an interview. States with- of cotton and tomato products President Donald Trump’s about human rights,” Zhao Li- “We will continue to work out Xinjiang from China’s western region administration is ratcheting up jian said in response to a query. our investigations to fill in those cotton. Xin- of Xinjiang over accusations of pressure on China over its treat- “It is only using this as a pre- gaps.” jiang’s out- forced labor, though a formal an- ment of Uighur Muslims in Xin- text to oppress Chinese compa- US law requires the agency put is about nouncement has been delayed. jiang, where the United Nations nies, destabilize Xinjiang and to detain shipments in cases of 5 million A Trump administration an- cites credible reports as saying 1 slander China’s Xinjiang policy,” forced labour accusations, such tonnes. nouncement, initially expected million Muslims held in camps he told a daily news briefing. as those from non-government “If Xin - on Tuesday, has been put off have been put to work. China will take all necessary bodies, she said. jiang cotton goes to the do- until later this week because of measures to safeguard its com- The bans could have far-reach- mestic industry and non-West- “scheduling issues,” an agency panies’ legitimate rights and in- ing effects for US retailers and ern markets, the impact may be spokesman said. terests, he added. apparel producers, as well as limited, it can proba- The cotton and tomato bans, CBP official Brenda Smith said food manufacturers. China pro- bly still be di- and those on five other imports, 2m the effective import bans would duces about a fifth of the world’s gested,” he over alleged Xinjiang forced-la- China imports about 2 cover the entire supply chains cotton, most of it from Xinjiang. said. bor abuses, would be an unprec- million tonnes a year each for cotton, from yarn to textiles It is also the world’s largest im- edented move by the agency, of cotton and cotton yarn, and apparel, as well as tomatoes, porter of the fibre, including likely to stoke tension between which may be enough tomato paste and other regional from the United States. the world’s two largest econo- to make textiles for the exports. A Beijing-based cotton trader mies. United States without “We have reasonable, but not said the impact may be limited The “Withhold Release Or- Xinjiang cotton. Xinjiang’s as China imports about 2 mil- output is about 5 m tonnes. conclusive, evidence that there ders” let the agency detain ship- is a risk of forced labor in sup- lion tonnes a year each of cotton