US Edition
Belarus opposition leader released from jail in US-brokered deal
- Belarus opposition leader Syarhei Tsikhanouski was released from prison on Saturday, June 21, 2025, as part of a US-brokered deal in Minsk.
- Tsikhanouski had been imprisoned since 2021 with an 18-year sentence for charges including "organising riots" and "inciting hatred," following his 2020 arrest before running for president.
- The release included 14 political prisoners and followed a visit by US special envoy Keith Kellogg, while opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya continues advocating for 1,150 detainees still jailed.
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya expressed joy on social media, posting a video of her husband with the caption "FREE," and thanked US officials including Donald Trump and Keith Kellogg for their role.
- Despite the release, Belarus under Lukashenka, who has ruled since 1994, maintains political repression, with ongoing arrests, torture reports, and refusal to recognize opposition legitimacy.
238 Articles
238 Articles
‘Waiting for others’: Belarusians hope for more prisoner releases
WARSAW: Belarusian exile Asya watched from the sidelines in central Warsaw as a crowd greeted and applauded Sergei Tikhanovsky, the Belarus opposition figure who was unexpectedly released, barely recognizable after five years in prison. A popular blogger, Tikhanovsky, 46, was jailed in 2020, weeks before he was due to stand in presidential elections against Belarus’s long-time
Siarhei Tsikhanouski: My release gives Belarusians hope
One of the most well-known Belarusian political prisoners, blogger , following a visit to Belarus by Keith Kellogg, President Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine. Tsikhanouski gave his first big interview since being freed to DW’s Alexandra Boguslawskaja, who had also interviewed him five years ago in Belarus, shortly before his arrest. Tsikhanouski was detained in May 2020, after being denied registration as a presidential candidate challenging A…
What's Next For Belarus' Opposition party after Siarhei Tsikhanouski's Release
Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Belarus' key opposition figure, is free after spending nearly five years in jail. His wife, Sviatlena , talks about taking up her husband's mantle after his imprisonment.
Belarus bargains for relevance, and Washington plays along
In a surprising turn of diplomacy, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Keith Kellogg, met with Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on June 21,and 14 political prisoners were subsequently set free from Belarussian prison.
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