Belarus frees a further 250 political prisoners in exchange for US sanctions relief

Belarus freed 250 political prisoners on Thursday, Belarusian human rights group Viasna announced, after negotiations in which the US agreed to drop sanctions on several Belarusian companies.

According to Viasna, 15 of the prisoners were deported to Lithuania, while the remaining 235 will stay in Belarus. Among those released were Belsat journalist Katsiaryna Andreeva, blogger and public figure Eduard Palchys, human rights activist Nasta Loika, and Mikalai Kuliashou, a former customs official who helped smuggle political prisoners across the Belarusian border.

The mass release came hours after a meeting between Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and US envoy John Coale, held at the Independence Palace in Minsk on Thursday. As part of the deal, the US agreed to lift sanctions on Belarusian investment and development banks, several fertiliser producers as well as the Belarusian Finance Ministry.

In a post on X, Coale called the deal a “significant humanitarian milestone and a testament to the President's commitment to direct, hard-nosed diplomacy”, adding: "President Trump constantly refers to President Lukashenko as his good friend and a respected leader".

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Trump in a post on Telegram, saying that his humanitarian efforts were “saving lives” and urging the release of over a thousand political prisoners still detained in Belarus.

Belarus has faced wide-ranging Western sanctions since Lukashenko’s regime brutally suppressed massive protests against rigged presidential elections in 2020, and allowed Russian troops to invade Ukraine from Belarusian territory in 2022.

However, since returning to the presidency last year, Trump has signalled a willingness to normalise relations with Lukashenko, including holding a direct telephone conversation with the Belarusian dictator in August. Previous US sanctions relief deals with Belarus have seen 189 political prisoners released and forcibly deported from the country over the past year, in June, September, and December.

Trump’s friendly attitude towards Lukashenko has been met with criticism among European leaders, with Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda saying on Thursday that Europe should not follow America’s lead on easing sanctions on the country.

Last week, the International Criminal Court officially opened an investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenko regime, which has held an iron grip on power in the country since 1994, after a complaint brought by the Lithuanian government.