Belarus Police Block Opposition Leader's Wife From EU Travel

Belarusian police have blocked the wife of a senior member of the Belarusian opposition from traveling to Europe.

Milana Mikhalevich said security personnel in the central province of Baranovich halted her in the early morning hours as she was en route to Poland for a conference on the situation in Belarus.

She is the wife of Ales Mikhalevich, an opposition politician and presidential candidate in jail on charges of inciting riots during a December 19 protest over the election, which officials say was won handily by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Police detained Mikhalevich for at least two hours before handing her a court order banning her travel abroad pending the outcome of her husband's trial.

Belarusian police are believed to be holding 29 detainees, including Ales Mikhalevich, pending court hearings on charges against them following the December post-election protest.