Belarus protest leader says she was threatened with expulsion 'alive or in bits'

FILE PHOTO: Politician and representative of the Coordination Council for members of the Belarusian opposition Maria Kolesnikova attends a news conference in Minsk, Belarus August 24, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Belarus opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova said security officers put a bag over her head and threatened to kill her when they tried to forcibly deport her to Ukraine earlier this week, according to a complaint filed by her lawyer on Thursday.

Kolesnikova, one of the most prominent leaders of month-old protests against the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, prevented the attempt to expel her by tearing up her passport.