Belarus has freed 52 political prisoners of different nationalities, the US Embassy in Vilnius said Thursday, in what appeared to be the largest release of detainees in years.
The embassy said those freed were on their way to Lithuania. Belarusian media reported the group included opposition politician Mikalai Statkevich, philosopher Uladzimir Matskevich, and Lithuanian citizen Alena Romanauskienė.
The release was announced as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko met in Minsk with John Cole, a representative of US President Donald Trump.
“Listening to Trump recently, I understood – probably with your prompting – that he is very concerned about what he called hostages, or political prisoners,” Lukashenko told Cole in a video published by his press service. “I don’t mind. Let’s discuss this topic on a global scale.”
He added that Belarus is not trying to hide anything.
“We are not supporters of keeping these people in correctional colonies. Moreover, they were not convicted for politics – we don’t have such articles in our Criminal Code. If Donald insists he is ready to take all of those released with him, God bless, let’s try to work out a global deal. As Mr. Trump likes to say – a big deal.”
At the meeting, Cole said the United States was lifting sanctions on the Belarusian airline Belavia and considering reopening its embassy in Minsk.
The move follows a smaller release earlier this summer, when Lukashenko freed 14 detainees after meeting another Trump envoy, Keith Kellogg. That group included opposition activist Serhei Tsikhanouski, husband of ex-presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.