Final week, 52 prisoners have been launched, together with opposition chief Mikola Statkevich, now mentioned to be again behind bars.
Printed On 16 Sep 2025
Belarus has pardoned 25 prisoners as a part of an ongoing drive to enhance relations with the US.
President Alexander Lukashenko’s workplace introduced the choice on Tuesday, lower than per week after Minsk freed dozens of prisoners following an enchantment by US President Donald Trump to launch a whole lot mentioned to have been prosecuted on politically motivated costs.
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State information outlet BelTA reported that 12 girls and 13 males have been pardoned, with out figuring out any by identify. A minimum of a few of these pardoned have been political prisoners, in line with the Viasna human rights group.
Rights teams say that greater than 1,000 political prisoners are behind bars, detained as a part of a brutal crackdown on protests over the 2020 election that noticed Lukashenko returned to energy for a sixth time period. The president was re-elected for a seventh time period this yr.
Trump has been pushing for his or her launch, reportedly lifting sanctions on the Belarusian state airline. US envoy John Coale not too long ago mentioned Washington needed to reopen its embassy in Minsk, indicating a potential thaw in relations between the 2 international locations.
Opposition determine returned to jail
Final week’s launch of 52 political prisoners included a workers member with the EU’s delegation in Minsk and 9 journalists and bloggers, together with a reporter for US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Launched prisoners have been bussed over the border into EU member Lithuania, the place they have been greeted by exiled opposition figures.
Nevertheless, outstanding opposition member Mikola Statkevich, who had refused deportation after his launch, was returned to a penal colony, in line with a report revealed on Monday by impartial information outlet Nasha Niva.
“Statkevich has been discovered within the Hlybokaye jail colony,” exiled opposition chief Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya posted on X. “We urge the worldwide group to demand his freedom”.
Nasha Niva, the impartial information outlet, mentioned the 69-year-old, who ran unsuccessfully in opposition to Lukashenko in a presidential election in 2010, had been in solitary confinement within the Hlybokaye jail for the previous two years and 7 months.
The exiled opposition says freed prisoners ought to have the appropriate to stay in Belarus somewhat than be compelled to depart the nation.
Western powers, together with the US, EU and UK have imposed a slew of sanctions on Belarus in recent times over its human rights document and help for Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.
