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flag Belarusian activist Maria Kolesnikova, released in Dec. 2025 after 5 years in prison, read 700+ books during detention, enduring solitary confinement.

flag Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, imprisoned for her role in 2020 pro-democracy protests, revealed she read over 700 books during her five-year detention under President Alexander Lukashenko. flag Released in December 2025 after a U.S.-backed prisoner swap, she now lives in Berlin. flag Speaking in Germany, she described reading as a source of mental freedom, citing authors like Shakespeare, Goethe, and Hannah Arendt. flag She endured two-and-a-half years in solitary confinement with no contact from family. flag Her story highlights the repression of dissent in Belarus and the resilience of political prisoners.

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