Belarus charges protest leader Kolesnikova with undermining national security

Belarus investigators have officially charged Maria Kolesnikova, a protest leader, with incitement to undermine national security, the Investigative Committee said in a statement on Wednesday. Kolesnikova was charged with calling for "actions aimed at undermining Belarusian national security" using the media and the Internet, the committee said.

Kolesnikova, 38, is currently in jail in Minsk after ripping up her own passport last week to thwart an attempt to expel her to Ukraine.