Vilnius, Lithuania – Belarus The president of Lithuania said on Thursday that 52 prisoners have been released and they have crossed Lithuania.
June, Belarus After a rare visit by the Trump administration’s senior envoy, released dissident figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski, the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and 13 others.
Last month, U.S. President Trump talked to him Belarus‘Authoritary President Alexander Lukashenkoabout the release of more prisoners.
“I am very grateful to the United States and personally @realdonaldtrump for the efforts of President @realdonaldtrump for their release of political prisoners. 52 is a lot. Many people. But there are a lot of people who are still in prisons in Belarus and we can’t stop until they see freedom!” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X.
Naudeda said prisoners, including six Lithuanians, entered Lithuania safely, “left barbed wire, banning windows and constant fear.”
Lukashenko Over the past thirty years, it has ruled 9.5 million countries with an iron fist, ruthlessly attacking opposition and independent media.
But his rule was challenged Belarus‘August 2020 presidential election. Thousands of people poured into the streets to protest Lukashenko’s Reelection is widely regarded as being rigged in the vote, sparking the largest protests in the country’s history. In the subsequent crackdown, thousands were detained and many were beaten by police. The famous opposition figure either fled the country or was imprisoned.
Almost 1,200 political prisoners are still in jail BelarusAccording to human rights group Viasna.
Lukashenko After that, his rule was expanded to a seventh term after the opposition in January 2025 called a farce. Since July 2024, he has pardoned nearly 300 people, including incarcerated American citizens, trying to tinker with the West.
