Belarus has released 14 prisoners, including Siarhei Tsikhanouski, who was detained in May 2020 while attempting to run for president against authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Tsikhanouski's wife, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ended up running in her husband's place confirmed the release.
"My husband Siarhei is free! It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart," she wrote in a post on X with a video showing the two embracing after he got out of a transport van.
John Coale, a deputy of US envoy Keith Kellogg, said in a post on X on June 21 that a total of 14 prisoners were released in an agreement helped through the cooperation of the Lithuanian government.
Ihar Karnei, a former journalist with RFE/RL's Belarusian Service, known locally as Radio Svaboda, was also released. He was arrested in 2023 and sentenced to three years in prison on "extremism" charges that he denies.
Tsikhanouski's attempted to run against Lukashenko in an August 2020 election, but was detained before the vote. His wife took over the candidacy for the opposition.
Lukashenko was declared the victor of the election, triggering protests by tens of thousands of Belarusians who say the balloting was rigged and that Tsikhanouskaya won.
The demonstrations lasted for months as Belarusians demanded Lukashenko, in power since 1994, step down and hold fresh elections. He refused.
The August 2020 vote was rejected as fraudulent by the West, and the country, at Lukashenko's direction, began to crack down on dissent, arresting thousands and pushing most leading opposition figures -- including Tsikhanouskaya -- out of the country.
Several protesters were killed in the violence and rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used against some of those detained.
Lukashenka denies voter fraud and refused to negotiate with the opposition led by Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Karnei is a veteran journalist who worked with RFE/RL for over 20 years.
He was detained in Minsk in July 2023 and sentenced in March 2024 to three years in prison for taking part in an “extremist” group because of his association with the Belarusian Association of Journalists.
In December 2024, his sentence was extended by eight months.
The Belarusian human rights community recognized Karnei as a political prisoner.
“We are deeply grateful to President [Donald] Trump for securing the release of this brave journalist, who suffered at the hands of the Belarusian authorities," RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Capus, who met Karnei upon his release, said.
"We thank Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio and his team, the Lithuanian government, and the international community for their support of our imprisoned journalists.”
The European Union, United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have slapped him and senior Belarusian officials with sanctions in response to the “falsification” of the vote and the postelection crackdown.
