Belarus freed 123 political prisoners Saturday, including opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, in exchange for relaxed sanctions on the country’s main export sector, according to state news agency Belta and the presidential press service.
One of three women to run an opposition campaign against authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, Kolesnikova rose to prominence in 2020 after leading anti-government demonstrations in protest of the election results, which had been widely disputed. In September 2020, Kolesnikova was abducted in Minsk by masked security agents, driven to the Ukrainian border and told she could either leave the country or stand trial.
Kolesnikova refused to leave Belarus, tore up her passport to avoid expulsion and was arrested. In September 2021, she was found guilty of conspiracy to overthrow the government, inciting action aimed at harming national security and the creation of an extremist group. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Ales Bialiatski, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Ukrainian and Russian human rights organizations in 2022, was also freed Saturday and arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, a few hours away from the Belarusian border.
Bialiatski is the co-founder of the human rights project Viasna, which was set up in response to large-scale repressions under Lukashenko’s government and helps political prisoners. Bialiatski was accused of “organizing and financing actions that grossly violate public order” and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2023.
Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has tightened his authoritarian grip on the country in recent years, deploying extreme tactics to squash dissent and remain in power — actions that have alienated the country from the West.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians poured into the streets in 2020, challenging his decades-long rule. Lukashenko, backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, rounded up his opponents. Many were beaten, jailed, tortured and forced into exile.
The West responded to Lukashenko’s brutal crackdown by slapping sweeping sanctions on the country’s oil, tobacco and potash sectors. The European Union also restricted the country’s access to European finance and insurance.
Saturday’s prisoner release follows other releases orchestrated by the Trump administration in recent months and is part of a broader effort to ease Minsk’s isolation from the world stage.
In June, prominent Belarusian opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky was released from prison after being held for nearly five years following a meeting in Minsk between Lukashenko and Gen. Keith Kellogg, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine.
Tikhanovsky is married to Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran in place of her husband after he was arrested two days after announcing his presidential bid. At least a dozen other prominent political prisoners were also released that day, including former professor Nataliia Dulina and Radio Free Europe journalist Ihar Karnei.
Lukashenko freed more than 50 additional political prisoners in September, the Associated Press reported. In exchange, the Trump administration relaxed sanctions on Belavia, the country’s national airline, allowing it to buy parts for its planes.
Saturday’s prisoner release comes after days of meetings between Lukashenko and John Coale, Trump’s special envoy for Belarus. Trump has urged Lukashenko to free up to 1,400 people whom Trump has called “hostages.”
Tikhanovskaya praised U.S. efforts to free political prisoners but urged Washington to use both incentives and pressure when negotiating with Lukashenko.
“You have to understand that for Lukashenko, political prisoners are just bargaining chips. He wants to sell political prisoners as expensively as possible,” Tikhanovskaya told Reuters.
“It’s like revolving doors at the moment: Some are released, twice more are detained. But we need to stop repressions fully.”
Coale said that U.S. efforts to rebuild relations with Minsk were in part motivated by Lukashenko’s close relationship with Putin and potential to use this as a channel to push the negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine forward.
“He helps, offers advice on what to do regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Coale said of Lukashenko in a news conference during his visit to Belarus this week. “His advice is very sound.”
Coale said that Lukashenko “has a long history of relations with President [Vladimir] Putin and is in a position to offer him advice.”
“This is very useful in the current situation. They have been friends for many years and have the level of relationship needed to discuss such matters. Naturally, President Putin may accept some advice and not accept others. But it is a way to help the process.”
Former presidential candidate Viktor Babariko and journalist Marina Zolotova were also freed from prison Saturday. Babariko’s son Eduard remains behind bars.
Of the 123 prisoners released, 114 — including 104 Belarusian opposition figures, human rights activists and journalists — were expelled to Ukraine, according to the human rights group Viasna. Five of those released are Ukrainian citizens, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Nine others have been expelled to Lithuania.
Natalia Abbakumova contributed to this report.
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