Maria Kalesnikava, hero of Belarus opposition, freed after more than 5 years

FILE PHOTO: Tatsiana Khomich holds up a picture of her detained sister Maria Kalesnikava as she gives a speech after accepting the Charlemagne Prize on her behalf, during a ceremony in Aachen, Germany, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen/File Photo

Dec 13 (Reuters) - When Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko used the full force of his security apparatus to smash mass demonstrations in 2020, Maria Kalesnikava became an icon of the protest movement.

Snatched off the street by masked officers on September 7 that year, the opposition campaigner was bundled into a van, driven to the border with Ukraine and threatened with expulsion "alive or in bits".