Belarus
Ruler Lukashenko releases 30 political prisoners
The authoritarian ruler in Belarus: Lukashenko Photo
© Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/dpa
Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko has once again pardoned a group of prisoners. However, the opposition still expects there to be more than 1,000 political prisoners.
According to the information, all of them “applied for pardon, admitted their guilt, sincerely repented and promised to lead a law-abiding life.” The latter will be monitored by the Ministry of the Interior. This information on the legal process cannot be verified.
Opposition speaks of more than 1,400 political prisoners
The opposition working in exile around Svetlana Tikhanovskaya denounced that political persecution, torture and other crimes against humanity continued in Belarus. “I am relieved that 30 more political prisoners in Belarus have been pardoned,” Tikhanovskaya wrote on Platform X. However, more than 1,400 people are still imprisoned for political reasons.
In mid-August, the first pardon of 30 political prisoners in Belarus was announced. As the Russian exile media outlet “Meduza” reported, the Belarusian opposition in exile had previously sent lists of seriously ill prisoners to the government in Minsk via third parties. Many prisoners from this list were pardoned.
After the 2020 presidential election, which was overshadowed by unprecedented allegations of manipulation, Tikhanovskaya was considered the actual winner of the election. Her husband had been arrested, as had opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova, from whom there has been no sign of life for a long time.