Belarus Pardons 42 Political Prisoners, Opposition Says Hundreds More Are Still in Jail

Belarus has pardoned 42 people convicted of “extremist offences,” but the country’s democratic opposition says the government is still keeping 1,200 innocent activists behind bars.

President Alexander Lukashenko’s announcement, reported by the state-run news agency BELTA, was published on Wednesday in the run-up to official Victory Day celebrations on Friday.

It also coincided with the fifth anniversary of the detention of opposition blogger and presidential hopeful Siarhei Tsikhanouski — an incident that snowballed into the country’s biggest anti-government movement.

Human rights groups accuse Lukashenko’s regime of using extremism-related charges to suppress dissent and persecute members of the political opposition.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, wife of Tsikhanouski and exiled leader of the pro-democracy movement, welcomed the pardons but claimed there were hundreds of other political prisoners in Belarus.“We are relieved for every family that can now reunite,” she wrote in a post on X. “But 1,200 innocent people remain behind bars — and we must not rest until all are free.”

‘His determination inspired many

’Tsikhanouski, a popular YouTube blogger, was detained in early May 2020, shortly after announcing plans to run for president. His detention, broadcast live online, led to anti-government protests in several cities.“On this day, Siarhei became the first to challenge Lukashenka in the 2020 presidential election,”

Other Topics of Interest

Ukraine Fortifies Belarus Border Amid Growing Threats

Ukraine is strengthening its entire border with Belarus, with new engineering works along the frontier and deeper fortifications behind it. Officials say the whole 1,085-kilometer line is already protected, but construction is expanding as Kyiv prepares for possible Russian escalation from the north.

Franak Viačorka, chief advisor to Tsikhanouskaya, wrote on X this week. “His determination inspired many. Like dominoes, the events of 2020 triggered a chain reaction – our fight for freedom, which continues to this day.

”Tsikhanouski was later barred from registering as a candidate, prompting his wife to take his place in the political spotlight and run for president.

Her camp claimed she won at the ballot box that August — but official results showed a Lukashenko victory amid widespread allegations of fraud. Mass demonstrations followed, which were met with a violent crackdown and the exiling of opposition leaders, including Tsikhanouskaya.

Her husband, Tsikhanouski, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on multiple charges, including organizing mass unrest. In 2023, his sentence was extended by another year and a half. He has been held in strict isolation in a maximum-security facility since March 2023.