Belarus opposition leader released early after five years
Sergei Tikhanovsky was detained in May 2020 after announcing a plan to run against the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the election that year. For five years, largely spent in exile, Tikhanovskaya became the face of the country's opposition while her husband sat in prison.
On Saturday he was released unexpectedly and husband and wife were reunited.
Tikhanovskaya shared a video on social media of her hugging her husband joyfully as onlookers clapped. She described it as a victory for Belarusian political prisoners and urged the international community to maintain pressure on Lukashenko's government to release more than 1,100 remaining political detainees.
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