VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Belarusian authorities on Saturday freed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, key opposition determine Maria Kolesnikova and different distinguished political prisoners, a human rights group confirmed.
Their launch comes as authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to enhance relations with Washington. The U.S. earlier on Saturday introduced lifting sanctions on the nation’s potash sector. In alternate, Lukashenko pardoned a complete of 123 prisoners, the Belta state information company reported.
An in depth ally of Russia, Minsk has confronted Western isolation and sanctions for years. Lukashenko has dominated the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for greater than three a long time, and the nation has been repeatedly sanctioned by Western international locations each for its crackdown on human rights and for permitting Moscow to make use of its territory within the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Belarus has launched a whole bunch of prisoners since July 2024.
John Coale, the U.S. particular envoy for Belarus, introduced the lifting of sanctions on potash after assembly Lukashenko in Minsk on Friday and Saturday.
Talking with journalists, Coale described the two-day talks as “very productive,” Belarus’ state information company Belta reported Saturday. He stated that normalizing relations between Washington and Minsk was “our goal.”
“We’re lifting sanctions, releasing prisoners. We’re constantly talking to each other,” he stated, in accordance with Belta. He additionally stated that the connection between the international locations was shifting from “baby steps to more confident steps” as they elevated dialogue.
Bialiatski and Kolesnikova amongst these launched
Pavel Sapelka, an advocate with the Viastan rights group, confirmed to The Related Press that Bialiatski and Kolesnikova have been launched from jail.
Human rights advocate Bialiatski received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, together with the distinguished Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine’s Heart for Civil Liberties.
Bialiatski, awarded the prize whereas in jail awaiting trial, was later convicted of smuggling in addition to financing actions that violate public order — prices extensively denounced as politically motivated — and sentenced to 10 years in 2023.
Kolesnikova was a key determine within the mass protests that rocked Belarus in 2020, and is a detailed ally of an opposition chief in exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Kolesnikova, identified for her close-cropped hair and trademark gesture of forming a coronary heart together with her arms, turned an excellent larger image of resistance when Belarusian authorities tried to deport her in September 2020. Pushed to the Ukrainian border, she briefly broke away from safety forces on the frontier, tore up her passport and walked again into Belarus.
The 43-year-old skilled flautist was convicted in 2021 on prices together with conspiracy to grab energy and sentenced to 11 years in jail.
Others who have been freed
Others who have been launched, in accordance with Viasna, embody Viktar Babaryka — an opposition determine who had sought to problem Lukashenko within the 2020 presidential election, extensively seen as rigged, earlier than being convicted and sentenced to 14 years in jail on prices he rejected as political.
Viasna stated that the group’s imprisoned advocates, Valiantsin Stefanovic and Uladzimir Labkovich, and distinguished opposition determine Maxim Znak, have been launched as properly.
Most of them have been introduced into Ukraine, Franak Viachorka, Tsikhanouskaya’s senior adviser, advised the AP.
“I think Lukashenko decided to deport people to Ukraine to show that he is in control of the situation,” Viachorka stated.
Eight or 9 others, together with Bialiatski, can be delivered to Lithuania on Saturday, and extra prisoners can be taken to Lithuania within the subsequent few days, Viachorka stated.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed that Belarus handed over 114 civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated 5 of them have been Ukrainian nationals.
Lukashenko needs a rapprochement with the West
The final time U.S. officers met with Lukashenko in September 2025, Washington introduced easing a number of the sanctions towards Belarus whereas Mink launched greater than 50 political prisoners into Lithuania. With that September launch, the variety of prisoners freed by Belarus since July 2024 exceeded 430, in what was extensively seen as an effort at a rapprochement with the West.
“The freeing of political prisoners means that Lukashenko understands the pain of Western sanctions and is seeking to ease them,” Tsikhanouskaya advised the AP on Saturday.
She added: “But let’s not be naive: Lukashenko hasn’t changed his policies, his crackdown continues and he keeps on supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. That’s why we need to be extremely cautious with any talk of sanctions relief, so that we don’t reinforce Russia’s war machine and encourage continued repressions.”
Tsikhnouskaya additionally described European Union sanctions towards Belarusian potash fertilizers as way more painful for Minsk that these imposed by the U.S, saying that whereas easing U.S. sanctions might result in the discharge of political prisoners, European sanctions ought to push for long-term, systemic adjustments in Belarus and the top of Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.
Sanctions have hit the important thing Belarus export arduous
Belarus, which beforehand accounted for about 20% of world potash fertilizer exports, has confronted sharply lowered shipments since Western sanctions focused state producer Belaruskali and reduce off transit by way of Lithuania’s Klaipeda port, the nation’s principal export route.
“Sanctions by the U.S., EU and their allies have significantly weakened Belarus’s potash industry, depriving the country of a key source of foreign exchange earnings and access to key markets,” Anastasiya Luzgina, an analyst on the Belarusian Financial Analysis Heart BEROC, advised AP.
“Minsk hopes that lifting U.S. sanctions on potash will pave the way for easing more painful European sanctions; at the very least, U.S. actions will allow discussions to begin,” she stated.
The most recent spherical of U.S.-Belarus talks additionally touched on Venezuela, in addition to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Belta reported.
Coale advised reporters that Lukashenko had given “good advice” on the right way to deal with the Ukraine struggle, saying that Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been “longtime friends” with “the necessary level of relationship to discuss such issues.”
“Naturally, President Putin may accept some advice and not others,” Coale stated.
