Belarus’ president pardons 30 political prisoners

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 30 people Wednesday who were serving prison sentences for “protest-related crimes,” his press service said. It’s the third time in three months that the authoritarian leader has pardoned prisoners.

The names of those released haven’t been published but include seven women. Lukashenko’s press service said all those pardoned “admitted their guilt, sincerely repented, and promised to lead a law-abiding life.”

There are about 1,400 political prisoners behind bars in Belarus, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and Polish newspaper journalist Andrzej Poczobut, whose release Poland is seeking. At least six political prisoners have died behind bars, according to the Viasna human rights centre.

Last month, Lukashenko pardoned 30 people convicted of participating in mass protests, including journalists and activists with serious illnesses. In July, 18 political prisoners were also released, including the leader of the Belarusian Popular Front, Ryhor Kastusiou, who suffers from severe cancer.

In 2020, Belarus was rocked by its largest-ever protests during a vote that gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office and was condemned by the opposition and the West as fraudulent. According to Viasna, 65,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, and hundreds of thousands have fled Belarus.

Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the pardons and said there are “thousands of innocent political prisoners” still behind bars, including her husband, Siarhei, who is serving 19 1/2 years for organizing the 2020 protests.

Repression inside Belarus is still “continuing and intensifying,” Tikhanovskaya said. “We need constant international pressure to achieve freedom for all political prisoners.”

The Viasna human rights centre said that at least 33 activists would stand trial in Belarus this week alone for participating in protests. Over the past three months, more than 200 people have been sentenced for protesting in Belarus.

Analysts say Lukashenko is seeking to improve his image before the new presidential campaign. A presidential election will be held in Belarus in 2025, and Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 30 years, has already announced that he will take part for the seventh time.

As soon as prisoners are released, “their places are immediately taken by other political prisoners,” which shows authorities aren’t liberalizing, analyst Valery Karbalevich said.

Freeing political prisoners, he said, is an attempt by Belarusian authorities to send a signal to the West to “humanize” the country’s image in order for the 2025 presidential election to be recognized.