The identities of at least 13 of the 30 political Belarusian prisoners released from prison after a decree pardoning them was signed by the country’s dictator Alexander Lukashenko on Friday have been established, human rights organisation Viasna said on Wednesday, naming six of them.
State-controlled TV channel Belarus 1 showed footage on Tuesday of four female former prisoners being released, one of whom was journalist Ksenia Lutskina. Lutskina, who had been serving an eight-year sentence, is known to have a brain tumour.
Ksenia Lutskina. Photo: ATN_BTRC / Telegram
Viasna also named Vasil Berasneu, a trade union activist, and Ala Zuyeva, Volha Stabrouskaya, Volha Novikava and Iryna Sankouskaya, among those released, but said it had chosen not to disclose the names of the other prisoners, citing security concerns.
Lukashenko pardoned 30 political prisoners in total, 14 women and 16 men, some of whom were suffering from serious diseases or had reached retirement age while in prison.
Franak Viachorka, chief political advisor to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, told independent media outlet IStories that the pardons included people who had already been released in July and August, saying the decree merely formalised events that had already taken place.
The Belarusian regime is known for jailing its critics, a trend that became all the more pronounced following protests against the stolen 2020 presidential election. Viasna estimates that there are at least 1,378 political prisoners in Belarus, while thousands more have gone into exile abroad to avoid prosecution.
