Belarus Frees Political Prisoners as Part of Sanctions Deal with the US

Sat Sep 13 2025 09:14:46 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a significant move, Belarus has released dozens of political prisoners in exchange for an easing of US sanctions, aiming to reshape its foreign relations amidst ongoing tensions in the region.

Belarus has freed 52 political prisoners, including journalists and activists, in exchange for reduced sanctions from the US targeting Belarusian airline Belavia. This decision comes as Belarus seeks to improve ties with Western nations after years of isolation and following controversial elections in 2020. Although the release has been described as a humanitarian gesture, hundreds of political prisoners remain in Belarusian jails.

Dozens of political prisoners have been freed from Belarusian prisons as part of a deal between authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko and US President Donald Trump.

Fifty-two prisoners have been released, including trade union leaders, journalists and activists, but more than 1,000 political prisoners remain in jail.

In exchange, the US has said it will relieve some sanctions on Belarusian airline Belavia, allowing it to buy parts for its airplanes.

The prisoner release came on the eve of joint military exercises involving Belarus and close ally Russia, and after what neighbouring Poland called an unprecedented Russian drone incursion into its airspace.

Poland is closing its borders with Belarus because of the Zapad-2025 drills, which last until Tuesday. Latvia is closing part of its airspace as well.

Russia's foreign ministry condemned Poland's leadership for its confrontational steps in closing the border. Meanwhile, the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, told the BBC World Service's Newshour that Putin is mocking the efforts by the West to deal with him.

Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, described the release of the prisoners as a humanitarian gesture, after meeting Trump special envoy John Coale in the capital Minsk on Thursday.

The two discussed how they could re-establish a trade relationship, including reopening the US embassy in Minsk. The US closed its embassy in the capital in February 2022 after Russia's Vladimir Putin used Belarusian territory to launch his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Coale stated that while he didn't have a date for the embassy's reopening, it would happen in the very near future.

Belarus is eager to build an economic relationship with the US, having faced a series of Western sanctions due to its ties to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Some of the sanctions on national airline Belavia have been lifted in return for the prisoner releases, US officials confirmed.

The airline was sanctioned after Belarusian flight controllers ordered a Ryanair jet traveling from Greece to Lithuania to land in Minsk in 2021, leading to the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich.

Many of Belarus's political prisoners have been in jail since Lukashenko harshly suppressed protests in 2020, following disputed presidential elections.

According to state news agency Belta, Lukashenko said, The Americans are taking a very constructive stance on the so-called political prisoners. We do not need political prisoners or any other prisoners.

The 52 prisoners pardoned join 314 others released since July 2023 in an attempt to improve Belarus's relationship with the EU and the US, according to Human Rights Watch.

Another 14 prisoners were pardoned and released in June during the visit of a US special envoy, including Sergei Tikhanovsky, the husband of exiled Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Tikhanovskaya expressed gratitude for the efforts in facilitating these releases as they marked a significant step toward alleviating some of the regimes' repressive policies.

However, despite these releases, many former prisoners have been exiled rather than allowed to return home. This situation has drawn attention to the complexities of political negotiations and the ongoing effects of Belarus's geopolitical landscape.