Belarus releases 123 prisoners after the US lifted some sanctions against them

Maria Kolesnikova makes a heart gesture in a cell during the hearing of her sentence on charges of undermining national security, conspiring to seize power and forming an extremist group. Photographed in September 2021. — caption, Maria Kolesnikova was arrested five years ago

- Author, Sarah Rainford
- Author title, Vilnius
43 minutes

Belarus released 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the United States agreed to lift some sanctions imposed on the Eastern European country.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski was also released in Minsk after talks with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Belarus, John Coale.

The United States has agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key ingredient in fertilizers and a key export for the country, whose President Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“As relations between the two countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted,” Coale said.

The European Union has not recognized Lukashenko as president.

Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020, most of the time in solitary confinement.

Her sister Tatiana, who fought tirelessly for her release, was able to speak to her via video call shortly afterwards and confirmed the news to the BBC.

“She’s free, she looks good, she’s fine,” Khomich said, adding that she couldn’t wait to hug her sister.

A group of the freedmen is expected to arrive soon in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where a crowd gathered outside the U.S. Embassy.

Khomich noted that the first thing Kolesnikova said in their conversation was “Thank you to the US government, to President Trump (and) also to the government of Belarus for leading, speaking and conducting these negotiations.”

Ales Bialiatski photographed in November 2021 — caption, Among those released is Nobel Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, pictured here in 2021

The deal marks a major victory for Lukashenko, and the authoritarian leader will also celebrate the way the United States ended its international isolation.

In addition to the EU, the US also did not recognize Lukashenko as president following unfair elections five years ago that sparked massive street protests that were brutally repressed by police.

At that time, hundreds of people were arrested, including Kolesnikova, and intense political repression continued.

Western sanctions were tightened after Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when troops entered Belarus and fired missiles from there.

Coale was quoted by Belarusian state media as saying sanctions against Kali would be lifted immediately.

The US envoy also said he spoke with Lukashenko about Ukraine and the help Minsk could offer in talks with Putin.

The attempt to enter into dialogue with Minsk is part of a major shift in US policy that puts it in a completely opposite position to Europe, where the approach is based on sanctions and isolation.