Belarus has reportedly released 14 prisoners, including prominent opposition figure Syarhey Tsikhanouski. Tsikhanouski was arrested in May 2020 while attempting to run for president against authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
His wife, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran in the 2020 elections in his stead, confirmed her husband’s release. “My husband, Syarhey, is free! It’s hard for me to describe the joy I have in my heart,” she wrote on X, attaching a video showing the two embracing.
International Cooperation and Other Notable Releases
John Coale, Deputy US Emissary Keith Kellogg, stated in an X post on June 21 that the release of the 14 prisoners was achieved in cooperation with the Government of Lithuania.
Among those also released was Ihar Karney, a former journalist for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service (known as Radio Svaboda in Belarus). Karney was arrested in 2023 and subsequently sentenced to three years in prison on “extremism” charges, which he denied.
Background of Tsikhanouski’s Arrest and Post-Election Protests
Tsikhanouski had attempted to run against Lukashenka in the presidential elections held in August 2020 but was arrested before the vote. His wife then ran as the opposition candidate in those elections.
Lukashenka was declared the winner, a result that sparked months of massive protests by tens of thousands of Belarusians who claimed the elections were rigged. Protesters demanded Lukashenka – who has been in power since 1994 – step down and for the country to hold new elections.
The August 2020 elections were rejected as manipulated by the opposition and Western nations. Under Lukashenka’s direction, the country then began a harsh crackdown on protesters, arresting thousands and forcing most key opposition figures to flee the country. Human rights organizations report credible evidence of torture being used against some of those arrested, and several protesters were killed during the suppression.
Lukashenka denies that the votes were manipulated and has refused to negotiate with the opposition led by Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The European Union, the United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka, 68, as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have imposed sanctions on him and high-ranking Belarusian officials in response to the alleged “falsification” of the vote and the crackdown on post-election protests.
