Belarus Opposition leader freed from jail in US-brokered deal
By
Andrius Sytas
, Reuters
Protesters hold flags during a demonstration rejecting the 2020 presidential election results, in Minsk, Belarus. File photo.
Photo:
AFP
Belarus Opposition
leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners have been released from jail and are now free in Lithuania, the neighbouring country's government said.
The release was brokered by US special envoy Keith Kellogg, a spokesperson for Lithuania's prime minister said on Saturday (local time).
Kellogg earlier met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the country's state news agency Belta said.
Tsikhanouski's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in a post on social media platform X, thanked US President Donald Trump, as well as Kellogg and others, for their efforts to secure her husband's release.
"We're not done," Tsikhanouskaya wrote on her X account, calling for the release of a further 1150 prisoners.
Lukashenko issued pardons for all those released in response to a US request, the president's spokeswoman, Natalya Eismont, said in a statement.
Eismont's statement on the Pul Pervogo Telegram channel close to the president said the Belarusian nationals among the 14 released detainees had been "convicted of extremist and terrorist activity".
She said the decision to release Tsikhanouski was "taken by the president strictly on humanitarian considerations with the aim of family reunification".
Tsikhanouski was seen emerging from a van with a shaven head, smiling and immediately stepping up to hug his wife in a long embrace, a video released by her office showed.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Kellogg, the highest-ranking US official to visit Belarus in years, saw his mission as one that could help
jump-start peace talks
aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
"President Trump encouraged this trip," Kellogg's deputy John Coale said in a video posted on his account on X.
Five Belarus nationals were released along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese citizens, one Estonian and one Swede, Lithuania said.
Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL President and chief executive Stephen Capus said in a statement thanking Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others.
"We thank Secretary Rubio and his team, the Lithuanian government, and the international community for their support of our imprisoned journalists," he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that the release was "fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka (sic) regime".
"The free world needs you, Siarhei!", Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X.
A Belarus court in 2021 found Tsikhanouski, a 43-year-old video blogger, guilty of organising mass unrest and inciting social hatred, and handed him one of the longest jail terms in modern Belarusian history.
His supporters said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated, and his wife has called the verdict political revenge.
His wife ran in the elections in his place, and mass protests broke out after Lukashenko said he'd won the elections. Tsikhanouskaya has since left the country for exile in Lithuania.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why Kellogg travelled to Minsk and met Lukashenko.
-Reuters
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Belarus Opposition leader freed from jail in US-brokered deal
By Andrius Sytas , Reuters Protesters hold flags during a demonstration rejecting the 2020 presidential election results, in Minsk, Belarus. File photo. Photo: AFP Belarus Opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners have been released from jail and are now free in Lithuania, the neighbouring country's government said. The release was brokered by US special envoy Keith Kellogg, a spokesperson for Lithuania's prime minister said on Saturday (local time). Kellogg earlier met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the country's state news agency Belta said. Tsikhanouski's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in a post on social media platform X, thanked US President Donald Trump, as well as Kellogg and others, for their efforts to secure her husband's release. "We're not done," Tsikhanouskaya wrote on her X account, calling for the release of a further 1150 prisoners. Lukashenko issued pardons for all those released in response to a US request, the president's spokeswoman, Natalya Eismont, said in a statement. Eismont's statement on the Pul Pervogo Telegram channel close to the president said the Belarusian nationals among the 14 released detainees had been "convicted of extremist and terrorist activity". She said the decision to release Tsikhanouski was "taken by the president strictly on humanitarian considerations with the aim of family reunification". Tsikhanouski was seen emerging from a van with a shaven head, smiling and immediately stepping up to hug his wife in a long embrace, a video released by her office showed. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Kellogg, the highest-ranking US official to visit Belarus in years, saw his mission as one that could help jump-start peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. "President Trump encouraged this trip," Kellogg's deputy John Coale said in a video posted on his account on X. Five Belarus nationals were released along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese citizens, one Estonian and one Swede, Lithuania said. Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL President and chief executive Stephen Capus said in a statement thanking Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others. "We thank Secretary Rubio and his team, the Lithuanian government, and the international community for their support of our imprisoned journalists," he added. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that the release was "fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka (sic) regime". "The free world needs you, Siarhei!", Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X. A Belarus court in 2021 found Tsikhanouski, a 43-year-old video blogger, guilty of organising mass unrest and inciting social hatred, and handed him one of the longest jail terms in modern Belarusian history. His supporters said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated, and his wife has called the verdict political revenge. His wife ran in the elections in his place, and mass protests broke out after Lukashenko said he'd won the elections. Tsikhanouskaya has since left the country for exile in Lithuania. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why Kellogg travelled to Minsk and met Lukashenko. -Reuters
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