Belarus Frees 123 Political Prisoners in US Sanctions Deal

Belarusian authorities released 123 political prisoners on Saturday, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and prominent opposition figures Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka, following negotiations with a U.S. special envoy that led to the lifting of American sanctions on the country's potash fertilizer exports. The detainees, many held since the 2020 protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, were freed from prisons across Belarus in a deal aimed at easing economic pressures on Minsk.

The releases marked the latest in a series of prisoner pardons since July 2024, bringing the total number freed to more than 430. Among those let go were opposition lawyer Maxim Znak, Viasna human rights activist Uladzimir Labkovich, and journalist Maryna Zolatava, all convicted on charges widely viewed as politically motivated. The group also included five Ukrainian nationals, one U.S. citizen, and individuals from Australia, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Most of the prisoners, 114 in total, crossed into Ukraine, where they were met by Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency. Eight others, including Bialiatski, were...