Belarus freed 25 political prisoners on Wednesday under an interim agreement with the United States that brought sanctions relief for two Belarusian companies, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, said after a visit to Minsk.
The United States lifted sanctions on Lakokraska, a paint and industrial coating manufacturer, and Bellesbumprom, a state-owned industrial enterprise overseeing the forestry, pulp and paper sectors. Sanctions against Lakokraska had been in place since 2008, while those against Bellesbumprom dated from 2023.
Coale’s negotiations with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have continued for more than a year. The latest release followed a meeting between the two men in Minsk, after Coale had met Lithuania’s Foreign Minister before travelling there.
Those released included human rights campaigners, political activists, journalists and lawyers. Four journalists, Andrei Alyaksandrau, Dzmitry Navazhylau, Kiryl Pazniak and Liudmila Chekina, were immediately deported to Lithuania.
Alyaksandrau had been serving a 14-year term after his arrest in 2021 for allegedly 'financing protest activities'. His girlfriend, Iryna Zlobina, received a nine-year sentence.
The prisoner release came a day after Coale promised Lukashenko that US banks would return tens of millions of dollars in frozen Belarusian assets. Under the interim agreement, both sides would seek to resolve outstanding issues, secure the release of further prisoners and remove additional sanctions.
Coale said he expected to return in about a month and hoped to see 'hundreds' of people freed. In March, Belarus released 250 prisoners after a pardon that Coale had persuaded Lukashenko to grant. In late August, Coale said the United States had secured the release of 500 prisoners in Belarus and that Lukashenko had pardoned another 200 people.
Human rights organisation Viasna says more than 900 political prisoners remain in Belarusian custody. Christian Wigand, the European Union’s lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, said 800+ individuals remained arbitrarily detained in appalling conditions.
Detainees have faced accusations including extremism, conspiracy to seize power, incitement of hatred and insulting the president. Lukashenko has denied that Belarus holds political prisoners during the talks.
Hundreds of people remain in prison after Lukashenko’s crackdown on protests against his reelection in 2020. Western countries imposed sanctions on Belarus in response to his repression of the opposition. The latest agreement continues a policy of incremental exchanges, with prisoner releases tied to targeted sanctions relief, while the number still held remains far larger than those freed so far.
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