Belarus activist imprisoned after trying to run for president released after serving 5 years
Social Sharing
Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a leading Belarus opposition figure, was freed on Saturday after more than five years in prison, in the most significant move so far by President Alexander Lukashenko to try to ease his isolation from the West.
The 46-year-old was driven across the border into Lithuania for an emotional reunion with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the exiled Belarus opposition.
The Lithuanian government said 13 other prisoners were also released and taken there following talks between Lukashenko and U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg. In total, five Belarusians were freed along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese citizens, one Estonian and one Swede.
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.
"It's hard to describe the joy in my heart," she said.
Franak Viacorka, Tsikhanouskaya's chief political adviser, told Reuters that Tsikhanouski had lost weight and his health suffered. He said he "looks like a different person," but was in good spirits and had joked with U.S. officials.
Viacorka said Tsikhanouski had described "horrible things that happened to him, but he's not broken ... He wants to continue fighting."
In a post on X, Tsikhanouskaya thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as Kellogg and others for their efforts to secure her husband's release.
Lukashenko has been shunned by the West for years after brutally crushing pro-democracy demonstrations in 2020 and then allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin, his close ally, to launch part of his 2022 invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory.
In the past year, he has freed more than 300 prisoners in what political analysts see as the start of an attempt to restore relations with Western governments and seek an easing of international sanctions against Belarus. Opposition politician Maria Kalesnikava and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski are the most prominent of those who remain behind bars.
"We're not done," Tsikhanouskaya wrote, calling for the release of a further 1,150 prisoners.
Lukashenko issued pardons for all those released on Saturday in response to a U.S. request, said his spokesperson, Natalya Eismont. In a statement, she said the Belarusians who were freed 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."
Eismont said Kellogg's talks with Lukashenko had begun on Friday evening and lasted 6½ hours over dinner, covering the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, relations between Russia, Belarus and China, and sanctions policy.
"It was night when it ended," she said. "The subjects discussed were as current as can be imagined. They talked about things that concern the entire world."
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Kellogg, the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Belarus in years, saw his mission as one that could help jumpstart peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL president and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement thanking Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others.
Viacorka said the freed individuals had no idea where they were going when they were taken from their cells.
"They were handcuffed, brought to cars, brought to the border. They were surprised, they didn't know who released them, why they were released, what was happening. It was so nice to see the happiness in their eyes."
On arrival in Lithuania, they were taken to the U.S. Embassy, ate pizza and drank coke, and were given mobile phones so they could speak to their families for the first time in years, he said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said 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.
Tsikhanouski, a video blogger, was arrested in 2020 while planning to run for president against Lukashenko, and convicted the following year of organizing mass unrest and inciting social hatred. He was sentenced to 19½ years, one of the longest jail terms in modern Belarusian history.
His supporters said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated. Sviatlana ran in the election in his place, and mass protests broke out after Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory and the opposition and Western governments accused him of rigging the result.
Viacorka said Tsikhanouski's release would spur the exiled opposition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
U.S. Vice-President Vance says country is ‘not at war' with Iran
Watch U.S. Vice-President Vance says that the country is not at war with Iran while speaking to American media on Sunday. U.S. Political Analyst Eric Ham explains.
National Post
4 hours ago
- National Post
The complicated, high-risk task ahead for Alberta's new man in D.C.
Alberta's new man in Washington, D.C., is Nathan Cooper, the 44-year-old former MLA from the rural heartland of the province. Nathan just wrapped up six years as Speaker of the Alberta legislature, an all-around nice fellow credited with keeping partisan shenanigans in the legislature to a minimum. Article content Ontario, Quebec and Alberta are the only provinces with full-time boots on the ground in D.C.; Alberta has a total of 11 staff in four offices across America, Nathan reports. 'To put that in perspective,' he adds, 'Quebec has close to 100 full-time people trying to defend the interests of Quebec in the U.S.' Article content Article content Article content I'm curious: What would entice Nathan to quit a plum job — refereeing partisan debates under the dome in Edmonton — and move to D.C. as a diplomat, a place where it's a struggle for anyone to be heard above the cacophony of lobbyists and legislators? Article content Article content Alberta needs someone in D.C. 'who can tell our story,' Nathan pitches. It's a glib answer to my question, but he qualifies his response; he knows he needs to convince not just the pro-energy crowd in the U.S. of the merits of Alberta as a trading partner, but the skeptics too. 'It's very possible,' he observes, 'the House and the Senate will be different after the (American) midterms.' Article content 'And, I think the Speaker's role, in many respects, prepared me for that,' he explains, 'because at the end of the day, you need to be able to garner the trust and respect of both sides of the House, or you end up in a very unruly place.' Article content Article content Nathan replaces former MP James Rajotte as Alberta's representative in Washington, and when we chat, he's been in the new job for less than two weeks. Cellphone in hand and safely parked on the side of the road, he's enroute to G7 briefing meetings in Calgary. A full 20 minutes into our conversation, he relaxes a little, unbuckles his seatbelt and takes a few sips of his Tim Horton's coffee. Article content Article content 'What a rocket ride,' he says with a nervous laugh, and describes his first week in D.C., alongside Premier Danielle Smith: meeting U.S. senators and congresspeople, as well as Canadian and American energy producers. After the G7, where the hosting province enjoys certain privileges including 'grip and grins' with world leaders, there's the Calgary Stampede in early July, a shindig that attracts politicos from across the world. Article content By August, Nathan plans to have his family settled in D.C. and he'll be working from an office lodged within the Canadian Embassy. 'Alberta and Ontario are still inside the embassy,' he explains, 'while the province of Quebec has their own office space and functions independent of the embassy.'
CBC
6 hours ago
- CBC
Belarus activist imprisoned after trying to run for president released after serving 5 years
Social Sharing Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a leading Belarus opposition figure, was freed on Saturday after more than five years in prison, in the most significant move so far by President Alexander Lukashenko to try to ease his isolation from the West. The 46-year-old was driven across the border into Lithuania for an emotional reunion with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the exiled Belarus opposition. The Lithuanian government said 13 other prisoners were also released and taken there following talks between Lukashenko and U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg. In total, five Belarusians were freed along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese citizens, one Estonian and one Swede. 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. "It's hard to describe the joy in my heart," she said. Franak Viacorka, Tsikhanouskaya's chief political adviser, told Reuters that Tsikhanouski had lost weight and his health suffered. He said he "looks like a different person," but was in good spirits and had joked with U.S. officials. Viacorka said Tsikhanouski had described "horrible things that happened to him, but he's not broken ... He wants to continue fighting." In a post on X, Tsikhanouskaya thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as Kellogg and others for their efforts to secure her husband's release. Lukashenko has been shunned by the West for years after brutally crushing pro-democracy demonstrations in 2020 and then allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin, his close ally, to launch part of his 2022 invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory. In the past year, he has freed more than 300 prisoners in what political analysts see as the start of an attempt to restore relations with Western governments and seek an easing of international sanctions against Belarus. Opposition politician Maria Kalesnikava and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski are the most prominent of those who remain behind bars. "We're not done," Tsikhanouskaya wrote, calling for the release of a further 1,150 prisoners. Lukashenko issued pardons for all those released on Saturday in response to a U.S. request, said his spokesperson, Natalya Eismont. In a statement, she said the Belarusians who were freed 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." Eismont said Kellogg's talks with Lukashenko had begun on Friday evening and lasted 6½ hours over dinner, covering the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, relations between Russia, Belarus and China, and sanctions policy. "It was night when it ended," she said. "The subjects discussed were as current as can be imagined. They talked about things that concern the entire world." Reuters reported on Tuesday that Kellogg, the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Belarus in years, saw his mission as one that could help jumpstart peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL president and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement thanking Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others. Viacorka said the freed individuals had no idea where they were going when they were taken from their cells. "They were handcuffed, brought to cars, brought to the border. They were surprised, they didn't know who released them, why they were released, what was happening. It was so nice to see the happiness in their eyes." On arrival in Lithuania, they were taken to the U.S. Embassy, ate pizza and drank coke, and were given mobile phones so they could speak to their families for the first time in years, he said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said 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. Tsikhanouski, a video blogger, was arrested in 2020 while planning to run for president against Lukashenko, and convicted the following year of organizing mass unrest and inciting social hatred. He was sentenced to 19½ years, one of the longest jail terms in modern Belarusian history. His supporters said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated. Sviatlana ran in the election in his place, and mass protests broke out after Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory and the opposition and Western governments accused him of rigging the result. Viacorka said Tsikhanouski's release would spur the exiled opposition.
