“This is another significant step in relations between the US and Belarus, as President Donald Trump has tasked me with the release of all political prisoners,” John Coale wrote on the X social media platform on Thursday.
Earlier, the Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported that Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on Thursday pardoning 18 people, including 15 political prisoners.
How many political prisoners have been pardoned?
Who thanked Alexander Lukashenko?
How many political prisoners are still behind bars?
What are the conditions for pardoning prisoners?
Belarus releases political prisoners. More than 1,100 people are still behind bars. people
The Belarusian Center for the Defense of Human Rights “Vyasna” reported that most of those pardoned – 11 – were women. BiełTA noted that six of them have children, including those with disabilities, who require medical rehabilitation. “Wiasna's” entry also shows that one of the women is in an advanced stage of pregnancy, and another was sentenced when she was only 16 years old.
All pardoned people had to ask for remission of their sentence, admit their guilt and declare their willingness to “lead a lifestyle that does not violate the law,” we read in a statement on the website of the Belarusian leader's office.
According to “Vyasna” data from March 5, 1,140 people are currently considered political prisoners in Belarus. Among them is also Andrzej Poczobut – a journalist and activist of the Polish minority. Since the mass protests following the fraudulent presidential elections in 2020, the number of Belarusians who have been arrested and imprisoned is estimated at at least several thousand.
