Belarusian opposition figure Statkevich detained

MINSK - The Associated Press

The wife of a leading opposition figure in Belarus says her husband has been detained by the police.

Marina Adamovich says in a Facebook post that she was traveling with her husband, Mykola Statkevich, Monday evening when they were stopped by traffic police, who detained Statkevich.

Adamovich says she wasn’t told why he was detained.

Statkevich had organized two events in Belarus this month - a protest march against the government Oct. 21 and a commemoration Sunday for victims of Stalin-era political repression.

Statkevich ran against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in the 2010 election and was arrested after a large demonstration protesting the results. He spent the next five years in prison.

He had been due to travel to Ukraine for a conference Tuesday involving members of the European Parliament.