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Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova was awarded the Aachen-based prize in 2022 in absentia. She has now collected it after having been released from prison in December.Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova was personally handed the Charlemagne Prize on Saturday after having been awarded it in absentia in May 2022. The ceremony was held in the western city of Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia state. The Charlemagne Prize recognizes people who have worked to advance European unity. Kolesnikova was awarded with the prize alongside fellow opposition figures Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo for their struggle for democratic rights, free elections and the respect of human dignity in Belarus. She could not attend the 2022 ceremony as she had been arrested two years earlier as part of Minsk's crackdown on a wave of opposition protests. She was released in mid-December, 2025, following international pressure and a US-brokered deal with Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko. Kolesnikova flees to Germany after release German authorities have granted Kolesnikova political asylum and she now resides in Berlin. Kolesnikova had already lived in Germany for 13 years before her arrest. The ceremony on Saturday was also attended by Kolesnikova's sister, Tatsiana Khomich. Kolesnikova has called for European politicians to engage in dialogue with Lukashenko, saying the EU has significant leverage over Minsk. Edited by: Roshni Majumdar