US Edition
Belarus opposition leader released from jail in US-brokered deal
BELARUS, JUN 21 – Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko released 14 political prisoners, including opposition figure Syarhei Tsikhanouski, after a U.S. envoy visit aiming to ease Western sanctions and tensions.
- On Saturday, 21 June 2025, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a prominent opposition figure in Belarus, was freed following a presidential pardon.
- The release followed a US-brokered deal involving President Aliaksandr Lukashenka and US envoy Keith Kellogg after Tikhanovsky's imprisonment for over five years on extremism charges.
- Fourteen political detainees, including Tikhanovsky and former journalist Ihar Karney, were released, with Tikhanovsky relocating to Vilnius, Lithuania, while his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, remains actively engaged in efforts to secure the freedom of approximately 1,150 other prisoners.
- Tsikhanouskaya conveyed deep happiness and gratitude, thanking US and European officials for their role in helping secure the release.
- The release signals a rare easing of tensions by Lukashenka's regime amid ongoing repression, yet mass arrests and political imprisonments persist, with at least 1,150 prisoners still detained.
242 Articles
242 Articles
"I Cried All Day when I Saw Him": an Unrecognizable Opponent of Lukashenko when He Got Out of Prison
In the centre of Warsaw, the Belarusian exile Assia observes the crowd applauding his compatriot Sergei Tikhanovski, a political opponent just released, with an emaciated face, almost unrecognizable after five years in prison in Belarus. ...
‘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.
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