Belarus opposition leader released from jail in US-brokered deal
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Belarus opposition leader freed from jail in US-brokered deal
Syarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners have been released from jail. Release was brokered by U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, a spokesperson for Lithuania’s prime minister said. Five Belarus nationals were released along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese, two Estonians and one Swede. Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was among those released by the Belarusian government. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the release was “fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka (sic) regime””The free world needs you, Siarhei!” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X.
The release was brokered by U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, a spokesperson for Lithuania’s prime minister said.
Kellogg earlier met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s state news agency Belta said.
Tsikhanouski’s wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in a post on social media platform X thanked U.S. President Donald Trump as well as Kellogg and others for their efforts to secure her husband’s release.
“We’re not done,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote on her X account, calling for the release of a further 1,150 prisoners.
Siarhei was seen emerging from a van with a shaven head, smiling and immediately stepping up to hug his wife in a long embrace, a video released by her office showed.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Kellogg, the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Belarus in years, saw his mission as one that could help jump-start peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“President Trump encouraged this trip,” Kellogg’s deputy John Coale said in a video posted on his account on X.
Five Belarus nationals were released along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese citizens, one Estonian and one Swede, Lithuania said.
Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement thanking Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others.
“We thank Secretary Rubio and his team, the Lithuanian government, and the international community for their support of our imprisoned journalists,” he added.
VON DER LEYEN, POLAND WELCOME THE RELEASE
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that the release was “fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka (sic) regime”.
“The free world needs you, Siarhei!”, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X.
A Belarus court in 2021 found Syarhei Tsikhanouski, a 43-year-old video blogger, guilty of organising mass unrest and of inciting social hatred, and handed him one of the longest jail terms in modern Belarusian history.
His supporters said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated, and his wife has called the verdict political revenge.
His wife ran in the elections in his place, and mass protests broke out after Lukashenko said he’d won the elections. Tsikhanouskaya has since left the country for exile in Lithuania.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why Kellogg travelled to Minsk and met with Lukashenko.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas; Additional reporting by Fylyp Lebediev and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Terje Solsvik, Mark Potter, Franklin Paul and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
By Andrius Sytas
Exclusive: Belarus releases political prisoners, including opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski
Siarhei Tsikhanouski was arrested in 2020 as the then-Belarusian opposition presidential candidate and Lukashenka’s direct opponent. The surprise release was brokered by US envoy Keith Kellogg, a longtime advisor to US President Donald Trump. Kellogg has said privately that the trip to Minsk could help kickstart peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to two of the sources. Earlier, exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tskhanouskaya told Euronews that Luk ashenka “cannot be trusted” and Belarus is not a place for negotiations. She described Russia’s war in Ukraine as a blessing for Lukasenka and that he did not want it to stop. The release of political prisoners is a “humane gesture” toward those who had “gone astray”, says Lukasanka. The president has been regularly pardoning small numbers of imprisoned government critics in what analysts saw as a signal that Minsk was seeking to ease tensions with the West.
Exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski is among the released.
Lukashenka’s regime arrested him in 2020 as the then-Belarusian opposition presidential candidate and Lukashenka’s direct opponent.
Siarhei Tsikhanouski speaks to people gathered to sign up and support potential presidential candidates in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, May 24, 2020. (Siarhei Tsikhanouski speaks to people gathered to sign up and support potential presidential candidates in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, May 24, 2020.)
The surprise release was brokered by US envoy Keith Kellogg, a longtime advisor to US President Donald Trump, who travelled to Belarus earlier this week for talks with Lukashenka.
Since last year, Lukashenka has been regularly pardoning small numbers of imprisoned government critics in what analysts saw as a signal that Minsk was seeking to ease tensions with the West.
In the run-up to the January 2025 presidential elections, Lukashenka has pardoned prisoners convicted of extremism, claiming that it was a “humane gesture” toward those who had “gone astray”.
Artist Ales Pushkin, who died in July while imprisoned in Belarus after authorities deprived him of medical care, waves a red-and-white flag symbolizes opposition (Artist Ales Pushkin, who died in July while imprisoned in Belarus after authorities deprived him of medical care, waves a red-and-white flag symbolizes opposition)
Kellogg, US special envoy for Russia’s war against Ukraine, has said privately that the trip to Minsk could help kickstart peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to two of the sources.
Earlier, exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews that Lukashenka “cannot be trusted” and Belarus is not a place for negotiations because Lukashenka “is part of this war”.
Lukashenka is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has allowed him to stage part of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 from Belarus.
“He’s a co-aggressor and he’s serving Putin’s interest, and he cannot be trusted at all,” Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews.
She described Russia’s war in Ukraine as a blessing for Lukashenka and that he did not want it to stop.
“(The government) is producing a huge amount of stuff for Russian army, and in this atmosphere of sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime, it’s a good source of income for him,” she added.
Police officers detain Nina Bahinskaya, 73, during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 (Police officers detain Nina Bahinskaya, 73, during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020)
Who is Siarhei Tsikanouski?
Previously a popular blogger, Siarhei Tsikhanouski decided to run against Lukashenka in the 2020 presidential elections and was arrested in spring, long before the summer protests in Belarus.
Tsikhanouski was first given “administrative detention” which prevented him from filing his candidacy before the deadline. His wife Tsikhanouskaya filed her candidacy instead, emerging as a leading opposition candidate.
A Minsk court sentenced Tsikhanouski to 18 years in prison with the harshest possible conditions. He has not been allowed family visits and telephone calls. He has also not been allowed to meet with his lawyer confidentially, read, send letters, or receive letters and parcels.
In 2023 he was given a new sentence of 1.5 years in prison in addition to the 18-year sentence he was already serving on the charge of “disobedience to prison administration”.
Tsikhanouskaya had no contact with her husband since he was jailed. She previously told Euronews that she did not know if he was alive.
“My children write letters to him, but they get no response. They ask if their father is okay, if he is still alive—it’s an incredibly painful situation. My husband’s imprisonment is my personal pain, but my goal is to free all political prisoners,” the Belarusian opposition leader said in an earlier interview with Euronews.**
Lukashenka claimed victory in the 2020 presidential election deemed fraudulent by the EU and external observers, triggering mass protests.
They were violently crushed by police, with tens of thousands of peaceful protesters arrested, and countless detainees suffering torture and other ill-treatment.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya went into exile for fear of prosecution. Many of her close associates, including her closest companion during the election campaign, Maryia Kalesnikava, were jailed.
According to the Belarusian human rights centre Vyasna, over 50,000 people have been detained on political grounds after mass protests broke out following Lukashenka’s 2020 presidential election win, and at least 5,472 people have been convicted in politically-motivated criminal cases.
The United Nations estimates that around 300,000 Belarusians have left the country since then, with most going to Poland and Lithuania.
Even today, between 15 and 20 people are being detained in Belarus every day.
In 2023, Tsikhanouskaya was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Belarus opposition leader freed from jail after US mediation
Belarus opposition leader freed from jail after US mediation. Wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya took the mantle of the opposition after his arrest. Release comes amid a broader warming of relations between the U.S. and Belarus. The eastern European country still holds over 1,000 political prisoners in its jails, according to Viasna, an opposition group.. The announcement came just hours after Lukashenko met US special envoy Kellogg in Minsk, the highest profile visit of a US official to the authoritarian state in years. The release was hailed as a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the Lukashenka regime, says German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. The Belarusian autocrat claimed a record seventh term in elections earlier this year that observers blasted as a farce, they say. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for “organising riots” and “inciting hatred” and then to 18 months extra for “insubordination”
Tikhanovskaya took the mantle of the opposition movement after her husband’s arrest (Federico Gambarini) (Federico Gambarini/POOL/AFP)
Belarus’s top jailed opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky was freed alongside over a dozen other political prisoners on Saturday in a surprise release hailed as a “symbol of hope”.
His wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who took the mantle of the opposition after his jailing, said the United States helped broker the deal and thanked US President Donald Trump.
Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years.
He planned to run against incumbent Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election, but was arrested and detained weeks before the vote.
Svetlana — a political novice at the time of his arrest — took his place in the polls.
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She posted a video on Saturday of her embracing Tikhanovsky after his release with the caption: “FREE”.
“It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart,” she said in a post on X.
Thirteen others were released, including Radio Liberty journalist Igor Karnei, who was arrested in 2023 and jailed for participating in an “extremist” organisation.
They have now been transferred from Belarus to Lithuania, where they are receiving “proper care”, Lithuanian foreign minister Kestutis Budrys said.
The announcement came just hours after Lukashenko met US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk, the highest profile visit of a US official to the authoritarian state in years.
Belarus, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all genuine opposition parties and is the only European country to retain the death penalty as a punishment.
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The eastern European country still holds over 1,000 political prisoners in its jails, according to Viasna.
Swedish-Belarusian citizen Galina Krasnyanskaya, arrested in 2023 for allegedly supporting Ukraine, was also freed, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
– ‘Sincerest joy’ –
The release comes amid a broader warming of relations between the United States and Belarus’s chief ally Russia under Trump.
Since taking office, the Republican has engaged in direct talks with Vladimir Putin, ending his predecessor’s policy of isolating the Russian president.
Tikhanovsky was for years held incommunicado, and in 2023 his wife was told that he had “died”.
In a video published by Viasna on Saturday, he appeared almost unrecognisable, his head shaven and face emaciated.
Tikhanovsky was sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison for “organising riots” and “inciting hatred” and then to 18 months extra for “insubordination”.
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A charismatic activist, Tikhanovsky drew the ire of authorities for describing Lukashenko as a “cockroach” and his campaign slogan was “Stop the cockroach.”
Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in the 2020 election, a result that sparked massive opposition protests which authorities violently suppressed.
The Belarusian autocrat claimed a record seventh term in elections earlier this year that observers blasted as a farce.
Fellow Belarusian political activists and foreign politicians welcomed the release.
Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the “free world” needed Tikhanovsky.
“My sincerest joy goes out to you, Tikhanovskaya and your entire family,” he wrote on X.
Former Belarusian culture minister Pavel Latushko, who supported the 2020 protests against Lukashenko, said all those released had been jailed illegally and hailed Tikhanovsky’s release as an “important moment”.
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European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed Tikhanovsky’s release and called for Belarus to free its other political prisoners.
“This is fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka regime,” she said on X.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Tikhanovsky’s release was “fantastically good news.”
“At the same time, we must not forget the many other prisoners in Belarus. Lukashenko must finally release them,” he said on X.
bur-cad/yad
Belarus frees opposition leader Tsikhanouski
The release of Siarhei Tsikhanouski and other opposition figures came under a deal brokered by U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg. The opposition leader was an influential blogger before becoming the leading opposition candidate challenging Lukashenko in the 2020 elections.
Several figures in the Belarusian opposition, including opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski, were freed from jail on Saturday under a deal brokered U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg.
Tsikhanouski’s wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition activist who stood in the 2020 Belarusian elections after the arrest of her husband, posted a video on X on Saturday showing her embracing Tsikhanouski and thanking U.S. authorities.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned a number of prisoners after meeting with Kellogg earlier in the week, according to media reports. Tsikhanouvski was an influential blogger before becoming the leading opposition candidate challenging Lukashenko in the 2020 elections. He had been in jail since May 2020.
Belarus opposition leader freed from jail in US-brokered deal
Belarus opposition leader Syarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners have been released from jail and are now free in Lithuania. Release brokered by U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, a spokesperson for Lithuania’s prime minister said. Kellogg earlier met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s state news agency Belta said. The release was “fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka (sic) regime,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X. A Belarus court in 2021 found Syarhi Tsikhanski, a 43-year-old video blogger, guilty of organising mass unrest and of inciting social hatred, and handed him one of the longest jail terms in modern Belarusian history. His supporters said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated, and his wife called the verdict political revenge.
Summary
Companies Release brokered by US special envoy Kellogg, Lithuania PM’s spokesperson says
Tsikhanouski’s wife thanks Trump, Kellogg
Kellogg met with Belarusian President Lukashenko, Belta agency said
VILNIUS, June 21 (Reuters) – Belarus opposition leader Syarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners have been released from jail and are now free in Lithuania, the neighbouring country’s government said.
The release was brokered by U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, a spokesperson for Lithuania’s prime minister said.
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Kellogg earlier met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s state news agency Belta said.
Tsikhanouski’s wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in a post on social media platform X thanked U.S. President Donald Trump as well as Kellogg and others for their efforts to secure her husband’s release.
“We’re not done,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote on her X account, calling for the release of a further 1,150 prisoners.
Siarhei was seen emerging from a van with a shaven head, smiling and immediately stepping up to hug his wife in a long embrace, a video released by her office showed.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Kellogg, the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Belarus in years, saw his mission as one that could help jump-start peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“President Trump encouraged this trip,” Kellogg’s deputy John Coale said in a video posted on his account on X.
Five Belarus nationals were released along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese citizens, one Estonian and one Swede, Lithuania said.
Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement thanking Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others.
“We thank Secretary Rubio and his team, the Lithuanian government, and the international community for their support of our imprisoned journalists,” he added.
VON DER LEYEN, POLAND WELCOME THE RELEASE
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that the release was “fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka (sic) regime”.
“The free world needs you, Siarhei!”, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X.
A Belarus court in 2021 found Syarhei Tsikhanouski, a 43-year-old video blogger, guilty of organising mass unrest and of inciting social hatred, and handed him one of the longest jail terms in modern Belarusian history.
His supporters said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated, and his wife has called the verdict political revenge.
His wife ran in the elections in his place, and mass protests broke out after Lukashenko said he’d won the elections. Tsikhanouskaya has since left the country for exile in Lithuania.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why Kellogg travelled to Minsk and met with Lukashenko.
Reporting by Andrius Sytas; Additional reporting by Fylyp Lebediev and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Terje Solsvik, Mark Potter, Franklin Paul and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
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