Belarus released 14 political prisoners on Saturday following a visit from U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, retired General Keith Kellogg. Kellogg met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the Presidential Palace in Minsk, where the two reportedly discussed bilateral relations between Minsk and Washington.
Shortly after the meeting concluded, the Belarusian government released the 14 prisoners, all of whom are believed to be associated with the country’s opposition. Minsk has not disclosed whether it received any concessions or guarantees in return for the releases.
Among those freed was Sergey Tikhanovsky, a prominent blogger and the husband of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Tikhanovsky, who was barred from running in the 2020 presidential election, was arrested and later sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges including organizing mass unrest.
Following his release, Tikhanovsky reportedly left Belarus immediately to join his wife in exile in Lithuania. Tsikhanouskaya had entered the 2020 election race in his place, ultimately losing to Lukashenko in a contested vote. Official results gave her just 10% of the vote, though she and her supporters rejected the outcome, alleging widespread electoral fraud.
The aftermath of the 2020 election saw weeks of protests across Belarus, widely viewed as being supported by Western governments and organizations. Tsikhanouskaya fled the country shortly after and established a government-in-exile known as the United Transitional Cabinet, headquartered in Lithuania.
Relations between the United States and Belarus have remained strained since the 2020 election. Washington imposed sanctions on Minsk over what it said were fraudulent election results and human rights abuses and has refused to recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate head of state.
The identities of the other released prisoners have not been made public, but local reports indicate that most of them were foreign nationals. The group is said to include citizens from Poland, Latvia, Japan, Estonia, Sweden, and the United States, and many are believed to have already left Belarus.