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Belarus releases jailed opposition figure after Kellogg meeting with Lukashenko

2025-06-21 20:59:08Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Belarusian opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski, considered a political prisoner, was released today immediately after a meeting between leader Alexander Lukashenko and US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, the Belarusian daily Nasha Niva reported.

Tsikhanouski, a prominent blogger and former 2020 presidential candidate, was arrested shortly before the vote and sentenced to 18 years in prison on politically motivated charges. Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience. His wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, later took his place in the election race, becoming Lukashenko's main challenger.

At least 13 other political prisoners were released along with Tsikhanouski, including prominent activist Ihar Losik. According to John Coale, deputy envoy to Kellogg, the released detainees were transferred to Vilnius with the support of Lithuanian authorities. “President Trump’s strong leadership led to the release of 14 Belarusian prisoners today. Thank you to the Lithuanian government for its cooperation and assistance,” Coale wrote on X.

Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the news, but noted that "1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars."

During the meeting with Kellogg at the Independence Palace, Lukashenko called the attention the visits had attracted "surprising": "I wonder why. Can't we have a normal dialogue and talk about our affairs, about relations between Belarus and the United States?"

Kellogg is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Belarus in recent years, following former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit in 2020. Lukashenko won the 2020 election with 80 percent of the vote, according to official figures. Opposition groups and international observers have denounced massive fraud in favor of the incumbent president.

Hundreds of thousands of people later took to the streets of Belarus. The government crackdown led to thousands of arrests, torture, at least seven deaths and subsequent Western sanctions. Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies and has allowed Belarusian territory to be used for military operations against Ukraine.

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