Belarus Releases Jailed Opposition Leader and 13 Others

Sergei Tikhanovsky, the husband of Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has been released from prison after five years and reunited with his wife in Lithuania. He was one of 14 political prisoners freed, including five Belarusian nationals and citizens of Japan, Poland, and Sweden. Tikhanovsky was jailed for 18 years in 2021 for rallying mass protests against authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. His release came after a meeting between US special envoy Keith Kellogg and Lukashenko, and is seen as a significant diplomatic breakthrough for Lukashenko, who has been isolated by Western politicians. Tikhanovskaya thanked the US President and European allies for their efforts, but emphasized that 1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars.

Belarus released jailed opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky and 13 other political prisoners following a visit from U.S. special envoy Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who met with President Alexander Lukashenko. Tikhanovsky's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, thanked President Trump for brokering the deal. The release is seen as a sign of warming ties between Washington and Belarus, a longtime ally of Moscow. The freed prisoners were transferred to Lithuania, where they received medical care. Belarus still holds over 1,000 political prisoners, according to human rights group Viasna. The release was welcomed by European politicians and members of Belarus's exiled opposition.

Belarusian opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski has been released from jail and is now in Lithuania after a rare visit by top US envoy Keith Kellogg to Belarus. Tsikhanouski was arrested in 2020 and sentenced to 18 years in prison after announcing he would run against President Alexander Lukashenko in the election. He was one of 14 political prisoners released, including five Belarusians and citizens of other countries. Tsikhanouski's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an opposition leader in exile, thanked US President Trump, Kellogg, and European allies for their efforts in securing his release, but noted that their work was not finished as over 1,100 political prisoners remain in Belarus.