March 29, Pozirk. Polish law enforcement agencies have received information that members of the Belarusian Coordination Council (CC) have been unable to contact its speaker Anžalika Mielnikava for several days, Polish interior ministry spokesman Jacek Dobrzyński said.
“Polish and partner services have learned that this person has been outside Poland for many weeks. Polish services will support the activities of other countries’ services and the Coordination Council of Belarus to determine the whereabouts of Ms. Mielnikava,” Dobrzyński said on X.
Last night, the office of United Transitional Cabinet (UTC) deputy chairman Pavieł Łatuška told Pozirk that the Belarusian opposition could not get in touch with the high-profile activist since March 25.
Łatuška said opposition leaders are priority targets for Belarus’ and Russia’s secret services. “I filed an official request with Polish law-enforcement agencies to investigate the disappearance of CC speaker Anžalika Melnikava. At the request of the law-enforcement agencies, this information has not been disclosed [until now],” he said.
Naša Niva, citing its own sources, reported that Mielnikava flew from Poland to the UK without prior notice. It later added that CC can no longer access thousands of euros in its bank accounts.
Deputy speaker Stasia Hlińnik of the European Choice group has taken the helm of the opposition parliament for now. Hlińnik, a granddaughter of the late Supreme Soviet Chairman Stanisłaŭ Šuškievič, is an aide to UTC leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.
Registered voters elected Mielnikava speaker of the third Coordination Council in July 2024. She represented the opposition group Team Łatuška and Movement for Freedom.
