Belarus frees 52 political prisoners after US mediation

Belarus has released 52 prisoners pursuing mediation by the United States, which has promised to assistance Minsk sanctions relief.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said connected Thursday that the prisoners, on with the US delegation, had crossed into Lithuania.

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“No antheral near behind! 52 prisoners safely crossed the Lithuanian borderline from Belarus today, leaving down barbed wire, barred windows and changeless fear,” helium wrote connected X.

US President Donald Trump had called connected Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a adjacent state of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to merchandise detainees whom the US person has described arsenic “hostages”. Belarus aboriginal confirmed their release.

In instrumentality for Lukashenko’s gesture, Washington volition assistance sanctions alleviation to Belarus’s nationalist hose Belavia, allowing it to work and bargain components for its fleet, which includes Boeing aircraft, the US embassy spokesperson successful the Lithuanian superior Vilnius said.

Relatives, friends and journalists stitchery adjacent the US Embassy successful Vilnius, Lithuania, up of the accomplishment of released prisoners from Belarus connected September 11, 2025 [Mindaugas Kulbis/AP Photo]

Sanctions relief

It was the biggest batch of prisoners yet pardoned by Lukashenko, who is seeking to repair relations with the United States aft years of isolation and sanctions connected his erstwhile Soviet state.

But it was acold abbreviated of the 1,300 oregon 1,400 prisoners whose merchandise Trump had called for successful a speech with Lukashenko past month, arsenic good arsenic successful consequent societal media posts.

Those released see Ihar Losik, 33, a writer sentenced successful 2021 to 15 years successful a penal colony connected charges of inciting hatred and organising riots, the Belarus affairs conception of the US embassy successful Vilnius said.

The embassy could not instantly corroborate whether salient critics of Lukashenko’s decades-old rule, specified arsenic quality rights campaigner Ales Bialiatski, co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, were among those released.

Belarusian seasoned dissident Mikola Statkevich was among the 52 governmental prisoners, according to rights radical Vyasna.

“Among those released contiguous is Mikola Statkevich,” it said connected Telegram, adding that the 2010 statesmanlike campaigner had been sentenced to 14 years pursuing the protests aft the contested statesmanlike elections of 2020.

EU’s overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas announced that an EU unit subordinate was among the released prisoners, thanking “US partners for their efforts”.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, person of the exiled Belarus absorption whose husband, Siarhei, was released from jailhouse successful June, said Thursday’s merchandise covered lone 4 percent of those designated arsenic governmental prisoners, and did not awesome immoderate existent alteration of argumentation by Lukashenko.

“We invited their release, but successful essence, this is simply a commercialized successful quality lives – radical who should ne'er person been imprisoned successful the archetypal place,” Tsikhanouskaya said successful a connection released to the Reuters quality bureau successful which she urged the European Union to support sanctions connected Belarus until ideology is established.

‘A planetary deal’

Belarus’s authorities quality bureau BelTA said those released included 14 overseas nationals – from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.

BelTA quoted John Coale, a lawyer who headed the US delegation, arsenic saying Trump had told Lukashenko that Washington wants to reopen its embassy successful Minsk.

Coale had earlier passed a missive from Trump successful English to Lukashenko, signed “Donald”, BelTA showed. The information that Trump had signed the missive simply “Donald” was “a uncommon enactment of idiosyncratic friendship”, it quoted Coale arsenic saying.

“If Donald insists that helium is acceptable to instrumentality successful each these released prisoners, God bless you, let’s effort to enactment retired a planetary deal, arsenic Mr Trump likes to say, a large deal,” said Lukashenko, who praised the US person for seeking a bid woody successful Ukraine.

“Our main task is to basal with Trump and assistance him successful his ngo to found peace,” BelTA aboriginal quoted Lukashenko arsenic saying, referencing Trump’s assertion that helium has resolved six oregon 7 satellite conflicts.

Lukashenko has led Belarus done much than 3 decades of authoritarian rule. He said arsenic precocious arsenic August 22 that helium was not prepared to merchandise “bandits” who mightiness “wage war” against the state.

Trump has said helium plans to conscionable Lukashenko, agelong treated arsenic a pariah by the West, and described him arsenic a “very respected man, beardown person, beardown leader”.

The prisoners were released a time aft Poland changeable down what it said were Russian drones implicit its territory, and connected the eve of associated subject exercises involving Russia and Belarus.

Belarus shares borders with 3 NATO countries and with Ukraine. Lukashenko fto Putin usage Belarusian territory erstwhile invading Ukraine successful 2022, but the Belarusian service has not straight participated successful the war.