Trump Envoy Wins Release of 123 Belarus Political Prisoners Including Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Russian ally Belarus released a Nobel Peace Prize winner and 122 other prisoners on Saturday in exchange for an easing of American sanctions in a deal negotiated by an envoy from President Trump. A leading opposition figure, Maria Kalesnikava, was also among those freed after two days of talks with Mr. Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, according to an American statement.In exchange, America is immediately removing its sanctions on potash, an ingredient in fertilizer and a major export from Belarus, while offering further sanctions relief in future.The mass release, the largest of its kind since President Alexander Lukasheko came to power in Belarus in 1994, follows on the the Trump administration’s success in securing freedom for the last of the Israeli hostages in Gaza in October as part of a wider peace plan.Ales Bialiatski, the 2022 Nobelist who was among those released, is the founder of a leading human rights organization and was jailed in 2021. Repeatedly arrested on charges that his supporters denounced as politically motivated, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2023.Ms. Kalesnikava rose to prominence as a leader of mass protests over a disputed 2020 election in which Mr. Lukashenko claimed victory despite widespread accusations of vote-rigging and fraud. She was sentenced in 2021 to 11 years in prison on charges including “extremism” and “conspiracy.”Tatsiana Khomich, Ms. Kalesnikava’s sister, told Reuters she had spoken to her sister by phone. “She told me she is very happy to be freed, that she is thankful to the USA and Trump for their efforts in leading the process, and to all countries involved,” she said.Both America and the European Union imposed tough sanctions on Belarus in response to the tainted election and the crackdown on opposition figures that followed. Additional sanctions were added after Mr. Lukashenko allowed his country to be used as a staging ground for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Mr. Coale, a lawyer and longtime friend of Mr. Trump, has been engaged in talks with Mr. Lukashenko since September and was formally named to his special envoy position in November. He also serves as deputy special presidential envoy for Ukraine.As Saturday’s release unfolded, Mr. Coale was quoted telling reporters that the sanctions on potash would be lifted immediately. “As relations between the two countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted,” he said. The American embassy in Minsk was quoted saying: “The United States stands ready for additional engagement with Belarus that advance U.S. interests and will continue to pursue diplomatic efforts to free remaining political prisoners in Belarus.”The BBC quoted Ukrainian officials saying that Ms. Kalesnikava and most of the other released prisoners were being transported to neighboring Ukraine, where they will receive any needed medical assistance.It said they will later be taken to Poland and to Lithuania, where the opposition candidate in the 2020 election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, lives in exile and leads the opposition movement.

Trump Envoy Wins Release of 123 Belarus Political Prisoners Including Nobel Peace Prize Winner

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