Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency:  Newsflash

Belarus’ top women’s basketball player Yelena Leuchanka who has played for several clubs in the US has been jailed after she was arrested at Minsk Airport for protesting against President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed re-election.

Leuchanka, 37, a two-time Olympian, has been jailed for 15 days after trying to leave Belarus at Minsk Airport to receive treatment abroad, according to the human rights group Viasna.

The group claimed that Leuchanka had taken part in opposition protests against President Lukashenko’s re-election.

The basketball star is the Belarus women’s team’s key player and she has played for several WNBA clubs in the United States.

Leuchanka was reportedly among a number of prominent Belarusian sports stars who signed a petition demanding an end to the violence and new elections.

Protesters have taken to the streets since Lukashenko claimed a sixth successive term with 80 percent of the vote on 9th August.

The election was marred by allegations of widespread electoral fraud, and all opposition candidates have filed appeals to the Central Election Commission calling for the results to be invalidated.

Over the past month, riot police have arrested thousands of demonstrators with some claiming they had been tortured or abuse in custody.

The allegations sparked international condemnation and proposed EU sanctions.

Several people have reportedly died in the unrest, and leading Lukashenko critics have been jailed or forced into exile.

Nobel Literature Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich has reportedly fled the county to Germany after facing pressure for supporting the opposition, according to Agence France-Presse.

The basketball star has been taken to a pre-trial detention centre on Akrestsina Street in Minsk.

During a quick trial on the day of her arrest, Leuchanka was sentenced to 15 days in prison.

The Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation, which supports Leuchanka and other athletes, demanded an immediate end to all administrative and criminal proceedings against athletes, as well as the release of political prisoners who are still behind bars.

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