Name: Belarus releases 123 prisoners as U.S. lifts sanctions
Uploaded: 2025-12-14T15:18:39.054Z
Duration: 2 min 32 s
Description: Belarus has freed more than 120 political prisoners in a major thaw in relations with the United States. The releases came in return for Washington lifting sanctions on potash, a key source of revenue for Belarus.

Belarus has freed more than 120 political prisoners in a major thaw in relations with the United States. The releases came in return for Washington lifting sanctions on potash, a key source of revenue for Belarus.

Minsk

Belarus has released 123 prisoners, among them prominent human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Alice Bialiatsky, as part of a deal with the United States. The release follows negotiations between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and a U.S. special envoy, leading to the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Belarusian entities.

The move is seen as part of a broader rapprochement between Belarus and the West, although some released prisoners and observers caution that sanctions should remain in place for lasting change. The European Union continues to not recognize Lukashenko's 2020 election victory.

Belarus releases 123 prisoners as U.S. lifts sanctions

Applause as human rights activist Alice Bialiatsky arrives at the U.S. embassy in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. He's greeted by opposition leader in exile Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya. Bialiatsky was jailed in 2021. The following year, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of campaigning on behalf of political prisoners in Belarus. Bialiatsky looks overwhelmed with all the attention he's receiving, as well as his new surroundings. The 63-year-old tells reporters only yesterday he was sleeping on a prison bunk in a cell with nearly 40 other people. I am really happy to be free. I understand that it took a lot of effort to secure our release. And we are free thanks to the efforts of many thousands of people, first and foremost American diplomats and American officials who worked so hard to get us out. Bialiatsky is one of more than 120 prisoners released in exchange for a lifting of U.S. sanctions on Belarusian Podash. The deal follows talks in Minsk between Alexander Lukashenko and the U.S. special envoy for Belarus, part of a growing rapprochement between Washington and the autocratic leader who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for more than three decades. His 2020 election win is not recognized by the EU. President Lukashenko, who should get a tremendous amount of credit for this. I think that he is moving, he wants a more normalized relationship with the United States and the West. So we're moving in that direction. The largest group of pardoned political prisoners, some 114, were released in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. They say now is not the time to ease pressure on Minsk. Instead, the U.S. and the EU must maintain sanctions on Belarus for any meaningful long-term change to take place.

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