Belarus freed 52 political prisoners in exchange for eased US sanctions on its airline.
Belarus has freed 52 political prisoners under a deal with the United States that eases sanctions on the national airline Belavia. The releases, which included trade union leaders, journalists and senior opposition figures, followed talks between President Alexander Lukashenko and US envoy John Coale in Minsk.
“The Americans are taking a very constructive stance on the so-called political prisoners. We do not need political prisoners or any other prisoners,” Lukashenko told state media.
Washington confirmed that some restrictions on Belavia have been lifted, though more than 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars. Among those freed were philosopher Vladimir Matskevich, journalist Igor Losik and opposition veteran Mikola Statkevich, who refused exile and attempted to remain in Belarus.
The move comes on the eve of Russian-Belarusian military drills and amid heightened tensions with Poland, which closed its border citing drone incursions. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that “Putin is mocking the efforts” of the West.