Authoritarian Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has pardoned 30 people, including seven women, serving prison terms "for crimes of protest," his press service said on September 4. The statement stressed that those pardoned had "repented and asked" Lukashenka for clemency. Last month, Lukashenka pardoned 30 other people sentenced for taking part in mass protests in 2020 against the official result of a presidential poll that named the long-serving Lukashenka the winner. In July, 18 political prisoners were released after Lukashenka signed a law on a mass amnesty to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi Germany. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
Lukashenka Pardons 30 Sentenced For 'Crimes Of Protest' In Belarus
Editors' Picks
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.