Olga Kovalkova also known as Volha Kavalkova ( be, Вольга Аляксандраўна Кавалькова, Voĺha Aliaksandraŭna Kavaĺkova, russian: Ольга Александровна Ковалькова; born 26 January 1984 in
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
) is a Belarusian activist and a member of the presidium of the
Coordination Council of Belarus that was formed by the presidential candidate
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Sviatlana Heorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya (' Pilipchuk;, , ; russian: Светлана Георгиевна Тихановская, , Svetlana Georgiyevna Tikhanovskaya, , , born 11 September 1982) is a Belarusian educator and the leader of the Bel ...
to transition the political power in Belarus in the aftermath the
2020 Belarusian protests and the disputed
2020 Belarusian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August.
Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in off ...
.
Career
Political activity
Belarusian Christian Democracy co-chair
In November 2019, Kovalkova announced her intention to run for President of Belarus at the next election. She said, "The authorities should see that there are more people who want change than those who are on the other side of the system. The opposition should have a task to unite people in a united tangible front for the authorities know that there are people who can dictate their conditions."
Post-election protests
In August 2020, Kovalkova joined the presidium of the
Coordination Council which coordinates the transition of political power from president
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luk ...
, who claims to have won the
2020 Belarusian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August.
Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in off ...
. Kovalkova served as the representative of
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Sviatlana Heorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya (' Pilipchuk;, , ; russian: Светлана Георгиевна Тихановская, , Svetlana Georgiyevna Tikhanovskaya, , , born 11 September 1982) is a Belarusian educator and the leader of the Bel ...
during the formation of the council.
On 20 August 2020, Alexander Konyuk, the
Prosecutor-General of Belarus, initiated criminal proceedings against the members of the Coordination Council under Article 361 of the
Belarusian Criminal Code on the grounds of attempting to seize state power and harming national security.
On 24 August 2020, Kovalkova and fellow presidium member,
Sergei Dylevsky
Sergei A. Dylevsky ( be, Сяргей Дылеўскі; russian: Сергей Дылевский; born 1 September 1989) is a Belarusian engineer and, , a member of the presidium of the Coordination Council that aims to coordinate a transition ...
, were detained by the security services whilst attempting to support striking workers at the
Minsk Tractor Works
Minsk Tractor Works ( be, Мінскі трактарны завод, Minski traktarny zavod; russian: Минский тракторный завод; MTZ) is a Belarusian agricultural machinery manufacturer with headquarters in Minsk, Belarus. M ...
factory.
Kovalkova was sentenced to 10 days imprisonment the following day.
On 5 September 2020, Kovalkova had to leave for
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, Poland, after her release from prison. She reported that authorities warned her of further arrests if she did not leave the country.
Kovalkova was forcibly exiled by authorities from Belarus.
Awards and recognitions
In December 2020, Kovalkova was named among the representatives of the Democratic
Belarusian opposition
The Belarusian opposition consists of groups and individuals in Belarus seeking to challenge, from 1988 to 1991, the authorities of Soviet Belarus, and since 1995, the leader of the country Alexander Lukashenko, whom supporters of the movement of ...
, honored with the
Sakharov Prize by the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovalkova, Olga
Living people
1984 births
Politicians from Minsk
Belarusian dissidents
Women activists
Belarusian political prisoners
Exiled politicians