Moscow, July 2 (dpa/GNA) – Belarusian strongman, Alexander Lukashenko, has pardoned and released 32 political prisoners ahead of the country’s Independence Day celebrations on July 3, the presidential office said on Wednesday.
According to the authorities, 28 of those freed had been convicted on extremism-related charges. The group included 20 women and 12 men. Officials did not immediately release their names.
Belarusian opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, welcomed the news, saying the releases would bring “relief” to the families of those concerned. “At the same time, we must not forget that hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, and every one of them must be released. We are waiting for each one of them to come home,” she wrote on X.
The Viasna human rights organization says more than 800 political prisoners are currently being held in Belarus. The United States has been able to secure the release of political detainees in Belarus.
In December last year, prominent opposition figure, Maria Kolesnikova, was freed along with more than 120 other political prisoners, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
Lukashenko has ruled the former Soviet republic since 1994. The 2020 presidential election, which Western governments and the Belarusian opposition said was rigged, triggered mass protests that were violently crushed by the authorities.
He was re-elected again last year.
GNA