Belarus has released 123 political prisoners as the United States moves to lift sanctions on the pro-Russian country.
According to the BBC, speculation had grown that a large-scale prisoner release was imminent, though the exact number and names were unclear until the releases began. Those freed include human rights activists and journalists, among them prominent protest leader Maria Kolesnikova.
Kolesnikova was seen in video footage smiling, hugging fellow former prisoners, and thanking supporters while traveling on a bus out of Belarus.
"It's a feeling of incredible happiness to see those who are dear to me, to hug them and realise we are all free," she told the camera. "But I also think of those who are not yet free and I await the moment when we can all embrace, when all are free."
The prisoners had been jailed for opposing President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for more than three decades. Also released was Viktor Babaryka, a former presidential candidate in the 2020 election who was arrested before voting began. Nobel Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, who had been serving a 10-year sentence, was also freed.
The releases follow negotiations led by the United States, including a visit to Minsk this week by President Donald Trump’s special envoy, John Coale. In exchange, Belarus is expected to benefit from the lifting of US sanctions on potash, a key export for the country.
Coale described the talks as “very productive” and said the goal was to normalize relations between the United States and Belarus, according to the Belarusian state news agency Belta.
“We’re lifting sanctions, releasing prisoners. We’re constantly talking to each other,” Coale said. He added that the relationship between the two countries is moving from “baby steps to more confident steps.”
Among those released were one US citizen and six citizens of US-allied countries. An anonymous US official told the Associated Press that the release marked “a significant milestone in U.S.-Belarus engagement” and described it as “yet another diplomatic victory” for Trump.
