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Profile
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Maria Kalesnikava

Maria Kalesnikava

Political Activist, Belarus

Cultural manager, musician, and democracy advocate who gained international recognition as a leading figure in the pro-democracy movement.

Prior to her political involvement, her career spanned the arts and cultural management in both Minsk and Stuttgart, where she led projects at the Laboratorium cultural space and served as art director at the OK16 cultural center in Minsk. She entered politics in May 2020 as campaign manager for Viktar Babaryka before co-leading the unified opposition campaign against the regime. Following her arrest in September 2020, she resisted forced deportation and spent over five years as a political prisoner in strict isolation until her release in December 2025.

She was awarded the International Charlemagne Prize in 2022 and continues her advocacy work focusing on democratic reform, civil liberties, and the release of political prisoners.