Belarus activist imprisoned after trying to run for president released after serving 5 years

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Jun 22, 2025 6:54 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a starring Belarus absorption figure, was freed connected Saturday aft much than 5 years successful prison, successful the astir important determination truthful acold by President Alexander Lukashenko to effort to easiness his isolation from the West.

The 46-year-old was driven crossed the borderline into Lithuania for an affectional reunion with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the person of the exiled Belarus opposition.

The Lithuanian authorities said 13 different prisoners were besides released and taken determination pursuing talks betwixt Lukashenko and U.S. peculiar envoy Keith Kellogg. In total, 5 Belarusians were freed on with 3 Poles, 2 Latvians, 2 Japanese citizens, 1 Estonian and 1 Swede.

Tsikhanouski was seen emerging from a van with a shaven head, smiling and instantly stepping up to hug his woman successful a agelong embrace, a video released by her bureau showed.

"It's hard to picture the joyousness successful my heart," she said.

Franak Viacorka, Tsikhanouskaya's main governmental adviser, told Reuters that Tsikhanouski had mislaid value and his wellness suffered. He said helium "looks similar a antithetic person," but was successful bully spirits and had joked with U.S. officials.

Viacorka said Tsikhanouski had described "horrible things that happened to him, but he's not breached ... He wants to proceed fighting."

In a station connected X, Tsikhanouskaya thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, arsenic good arsenic Kellogg and others for their efforts to unafraid her husband's release.

Lukashenko has been shunned by the West for years aft brutally crushing pro-democracy demonstrations successful 2020 and past allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin, his adjacent ally, to motorboat portion of his 2022 penetration of Ukraine from Belarusian territory.

In the past year, helium has freed much than 300 prisoners successful what governmental analysts spot arsenic the commencement of an effort to reconstruct relations with Western governments and question an easing of planetary sanctions against Belarus. Opposition person Maria Kalesnikava and Nobel Peace Prize victor Ales Bialiatski are the astir salient of those who stay down bars.

"We're not done," Tsikhanouskaya wrote, calling for the merchandise of a further 1,150 prisoners.

Lukashenko issued pardons for each those released connected Saturday successful effect to a U.S. request, said his spokesperson, Natalya Eismont. In a statement, she said the Belarusians who were freed had been "convicted of extremist and violent activity."

She said the determination to merchandise Tsikhanouski was "taken by the president strictly connected humanitarian considerations with the purpose of household reunification."

Eismont said Kellogg's talks with Lukashenko had begun connected Friday evening and lasted 6½ hours implicit dinner, covering the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, relations betwixt Russia, Belarus and China, and sanctions policy.

"It was nighttime erstwhile it ended," she said. "The subjects discussed were arsenic existent arsenic tin beryllium imagined. They talked astir things that interest the full world."

Reuters reported connected Tuesday that Kellogg, the highest-ranking U.S. authoritative to sojourn Belarus successful years, saw his ngo arsenic 1 that could assistance jumpstart bid talks aimed astatine ending Russia's warfare against Ukraine.

Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a erstwhile writer astatine Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL president and CEO Stephen Capus said successful a connection thanking Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others.

Viacorka said the freed individuals had nary thought wherever they were going erstwhile they were taken from their cells.

"They were handcuffed, brought to cars, brought to the border. They were surprised, they didn't cognize who released them, wherefore they were released, what was happening. It was truthful bully to spot the happiness successful their eyes."

On accomplishment successful Lithuania, they were taken to the U.S. Embassy, ate pizza and drank coke, and were fixed mobile phones truthful they could talk to their families for the archetypal clip successful years, helium said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the merchandise was "fantastic quality and a almighty awesome of anticipation for each the governmental prisoners suffering nether the brutal Lukashenka (sic) regime."

"The escaped satellite needs you, Siarhei!" Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said connected X.

Tsikhanouski, a video blogger, was arrested successful 2020 while planning to tally for president against Lukashenko, and convicted the pursuing twelvemonth of organizing wide unrest and inciting societal hatred. He was sentenced to 19½ years, 1 of the longest jailhouse presumption successful modern Belarusian history.

His supporters said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated. Sviatlana ran successful the predetermination successful his place, and wide protests broke retired after Lukashenko claimed a landslide triumph and the absorption and Western governments accused him of rigging the result.

Viacorka said Tsikhanouski's merchandise would spur the exiled opposition.

"It's a large boost to our fight, I deliberation it volition pull attraction to Belarusian governmental prisoners and to Belarus successful the satellite close present — we person to usage this momentum."