Belarus frees 123 prisoners as US lifts sanctions
Belarus has released 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the United States agreed to lift sanctions against the Eastern European country.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski is among those released following meetings in Minsk with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Belarus, John Coale.
The United States agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key ingredient in fertilizer and a major export of Russia’s close ally Belarus.
Coale said: “As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted.”
Belarus’ president, Alexander Lukashenko, is not recognized as president by the EU.
Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020, most of the time in isolation.
His sister Tatiana Khomich, who campaigned tirelessly for his release, was soon able to speak to him via video call and confirmed the news to the BBC.
“He’s free, he looks good, he looks good,” said Khomich, who said he can’t wait to hug his brother.
A group of those released is expected to arrive in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, soon. A crowd gathers in front of the US embassy.
Khomich said the first thing Kolesnikova said when they spoke was “Thank you to the US administration, to President Trump.” [and] “I would like to thank the Belarusian government for leading, speaking and carrying out these negotiations.”
The agreement is a major achievement for Lukashenko, and the authoritarian leader will also welcome the Americans’ end to international isolation.
The US, along with the EU, did not recognize Lukashenko as president after unfair elections five years ago led to mass street protests that were brutally suppressed by police.
At that time, hundreds of people, including Kolesnikova, were arrested, and intense political pressure continued.
Western sanctions were tightened after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with troops entering through Belarus and missiles being launched from the region.
Belarusian state media quoted Coale as saying that sanctions against potash would be lifted immediately:
The US envoy also said he spoke with Lukashenko about Ukraine and what assistance Minsk could offer in talks with Putin.
The attempt to engage with Minsk is part of a major shift in US policy; This puts the US largely at odds with Europe, which has a sanctions-and-isolation approach.
