VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Belarusian authorities have released Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from prison. Human rights advocate Pavel Sapelka confirmed the release to the AP. This move comes as President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to improve relations with Washington. On Saturday, the U.S. announced it was lifting sanctions on Belarus’s potash sector. In exchange, Lukashenko pardoned 123 prisoners. Belarus has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years due to its human rights record and support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. envoy described recent talks with Lukashenko as “very productive.”
(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
