Belarus pardons Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski along with 122 other political prisoners

Bialiatski is the founder of the NGO Viasna Human Rights Center, specialized in monitoring the human rights situation in Belarus, and it was this organization that confirmed the release on its website. In addition, the former vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Valiantsin Stefanovich, and lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich have also been released.

The Leninski Court in Minsk sentenced the Belarusian Nobel Peace Prize winner to ten years in prison in 2023 for smuggling and belonging to an organized group.

“In accordance with the agreements reached with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and at his request, in connection with the lifting of illegal sanctions against the Belarusian potash industry imposed by the administration of former US President (Joe) Biden (…) the head of State has decided to pardon 123 citizens of various countries convicted under the laws of the Republic of Belarus for various crimes, including espionage, terrorism and extremist activities,” the Presidency announced Belarusian.

The announcement of the lifting of sanctions was made by Trump’s envoy to the country, John Coale, in a gesture towards the great ally of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who unlocks one of the country’s largest sources of income.

“It seems like a good step to me. We are going to lift them right now,” Coale said after meeting with Lukashenko, before confirming that if the negotiations to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus continue favorably, as demonstrated by the latest shipment this Saturday, Trump will gradually withdraw other sanctions.

“As relations between both countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted,” Coale added in this regard.

Taking into account the decisions taken by the President of Belarus at the end of November, the total number of people pardoned now amounts to 156. Among them are citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Australia and Japan.