Belarus releases 123 prisoners, among them opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko "decided to pardon 123 citizens of several countries" following talks with the United States, according to sources close to the government.
Ales Bialiatski (R) and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (L) at the U.S. embassy.
Belarus released 123 prisoners, including opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, human rights NGO Viasna said Saturday.
The announcement came shortly after a visiting U.S. emissary in Minsk claimed that Washington had lifted sanctions against Belarusian potash.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko "decided to pardon 123 citizens of several countries" following talks with the United States, the Poul Pervogo account affiliated with the Belarusian presidency stated on Telegram, without providing the names of those released.
Detained during brutal crackdown
Ales Bialiatski, 63, founded Viasna ("Spring") in 1996 and led the organization for years. It is a leading human rights advocacy group and an essential source of information on repression in this Eastern European country.
Maria Kolesnikova, 43, a musician by training, was one of the leaders of the mass demonstrations against Lukashenko's 2020 reelection, considered fraudulent.
Both were arrested during the brutal crackdown on these protests and sentenced to harsh prison terms.
Opposition member Viktor Babariko, one of Lukashenko's main rivals until he was jailed before the 2020 elections, was also released, according to Viasna.
Pressure from Trump in recent months
While in detention, Ales Bialiatski's work earned him the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, shared with the NGO Memorial (Russia) and the Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine).
"I spoke to him, he is on his way to Lithuania and is doing well," his wife, Natalia Pinchuk, told AFP.
These releases follow the announcement by U.S. envoy John Coale, visiting Belarus, of the lifting of U.S. sanctions on potassium, a component used to make fertilizer and of which Belarus is a major producer.
In recent months, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Belarus to release the country's hundreds of political prisoners and Lukashenko, in power for more than 30 years, pardoned dozens of people.
In return, Washington had already partially lifted sanctions against Belarusian airline Belavia, allowing it to maintain and purchase parts for its fleet, which includes Boeing aircraft.
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