By Eniola Amadu
Belarus released 52 prisoners of various nationalities on Thursday following an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump, with the freed detainees transferred to Lithuania alongside a U.S. delegation that secured their release, the American embassy in Vilnius said.
The move came after Trump urged President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to release individuals he has repeatedly described as “hostages.” Belarus later confirmed the release.
In exchange, Washington will ease sanctions on Belarus’s national carrier, Belavia, allowing the airline to service and purchase parts for its fleet, which includes Boeing aircraft, a U.S. embassy spokesperson said.
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It was the largest single release of prisoners by Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for over three decades and is seeking to repair ties with the United States after years of sanctions and isolation.
However, the number falls short of the 1,300–1,400 releases Trump had requested in earlier discussions.
Among those freed was Ihar Losik, a journalist sentenced in 2021 to 15 years for alleged incitement and organising unrest, according to the embassy’s Belarus affairs section.
It was unclear whether high-profile opposition figures, such as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, were among those released.
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, based in exile, welcomed the step but said it represented only 4% of Belarus’s political prisoners and warned against easing pressure on Lukashenko.
“This is a trade in human lives — people who should never have been imprisoned in the first place,” she said, urging the European Union to maintain sanctions until democratic reforms occur.
Belarusian state news agency Belta said the release included 14 foreign nationals from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, France, Britain and Germany.
It also quoted John Coale, head of the U.S. delegation, as saying Trump was interested in reopening the U.S. embassy in Minsk.
Lukashenko, who has long faced Western criticism for authoritarian rule, praised Trump’s peace efforts and suggested broader cooperation, saying:
“If Donald insists that he is ready to take in all these released prisoners, God bless you, let’s try to work out a global deal.”
The release coincided with heightened regional tensions, coming a day after Poland said it shot down Russian drones over its territory and ahead of joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus.
Vytis Jurkonis of Freedom House said Lukashenko was using prisoner releases to “uphold the illusion of change” while continuing arrests.
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“Real change would mean an end to repression, the return of exiles, and the withdrawal of Russian forces,” he said.
Lukashenko has maintained there are no political prisoners in Belarus, insisting that those jailed “chose their own fate” by breaking the law.
