Belarus frees 25 political prisoners as US lifts sanctions on two industrial firms

Sanctions relief for prisoner releases

The government of Belarus released 25 political prisoners on Wednesday following direct negotiations in Minsk between President Alexander Lukashenko and United States special envoy John Coale. In return, Washington lifted sanctions on two state-linked Belarusian enterprises: Lakokraska, the country's largest manufacturer of paints and corrosion coatings, and Bellesbumprom, a state entity overseeing the forestry and paper sectors. The Trump administration had initially sought the release of 200 prisoners during this diplomatic round, but accepted the smaller group as a temporary agreement. Following their discharge from penal colonies, the 25 individuals were transported across the border to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, where Coale published a photograph with the group on social media platform X.

Journalists and activists among the freed

Human rights organization Viasna confirmed the pardons and identified several prominent figures among those freed. The group included Lyudmila Chekina, the former director of independent portal TUT.BY who had been serving a 12-year sentence, and journalist Andrei Alyaksandrau, who was sentenced to 14 years following his 2021 arrest. Alyaksandrau was released alongside his wife Irina Zlobina, who had received a nine-year term for alleged protest financing. Other freed individuals included former BelaPAN news agency director Dzmitry Navazhylau, Art Siadziba cultural center founder Pavel Belavus, ByChange initiator Yauhen Yushkevich, and European Belarus activist Alena Lazarchyk. European Union foreign affairs spokesperson Christian Wigand acknowledged the American diplomatic initiative while calling for complete releases across the country.

800+ individuals remain arbitrarily detained in appalling conditions. Belarus' regime should release all political prisoners, immediately and unconditionally.

Diplomatic talks and financial demands

Coale confirmed that he plans to return to Minsk in approximately one month to pursue further negotiations, expressing confidence that future rounds will secure the release of hundreds more detainees. During talks on Tuesday, Lukashenko pressed for broader bilateral economic agreements and requested United States assistance in unfreezing tens of millions of dollars in Belarusian state assets held at Citibank. The transaction is the latest in a series of direct negotiations between Washington and Minsk, which previously saw the release of blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky in June 2025 as well as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and journalist Andrzej Poczobut. In March, Belarusian authorities freed 250 prisoners after the United States lifted sanctions on potash fertilizer producers, two commercial banks, and the finance ministry.

I hope hundreds (are released). I don't know. That's my hope.

Ongoing repression and detention numbers

Despite the high-profile releases, human rights groups emphasize that authoritarian controls and political detentions continue uninterrupted across Belarus. Viasna records indicate that 904 political prisoners remain incarcerated across the country, while other human rights organizations estimate the total at up to 1,400 detainees. Since the August 2020 presidential election, Belarusian courts have handed down more than 7,000 politically motivated sentences for alleged extremist activities, conspiracy to seize power, and insult of the president. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the United States government for its intervention, while Lukashenko publicly denied that the released individuals were political prisoners and rejected claims that new arrests are made to replace departing detainees.