Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski describes Belarus prison ordeal in first interview after release

Lukashenko trades prisoners for sanctions relief — and keeps the upper hand

As dust settles from a historic deal that saw Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko free 123 political prisoners in exchange for a partial U.S. sanctions relief, the main question remains unanswered — what now? Trump’s newly appointed special envoy, John Coale, arrived in Minsk on Dec. 12 and secured the biggest prisoner release so far, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figures Viktar Babaryka and Maria Ka…

Ales Byalyatski: Prison, Principle, And The Price Of Dissent In Belarus

Prominent Belarus human rights defender Ales Byalyatski knew it was coming. His activist colleagues were being harassed and arrested. He just didn't know when. In an interview with RFE/RL days after his release, the Nobel laureate recounted his ordeal in a Belarusian prison.

Belarus Releases 123 Political Prisoners as U.S. Lifts Sanctions

Belarus released 123 political prisoners Saturday, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava, as the Trump administration announced it would lift sanctions on Belarusian potash. President Trump’s envoy John Coale told Reuters that about 1,000 political prisoners left in Belarus could be released in the coming months. Here’s Viktar Babaryka, a former Belarusian presidential candidate who wa…

In return for Trump lifting sanctions, Belarus freed 123 political prisoners — then expelled most to Ukraine without passports

Over the weekend, Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus released 123 political prisoners in exchange for the United States lifting sanctions on the country’s potash sector. Lukashenko has routinely deported freed political prisoners in recent years, usually to Lithuania. This time, however, most were sent to Ukraine — a route that appears to have surprised both the prisoners and the Ukrainian authorities. The day after their release, several of the mo…

Belarusian journalist Maryna Zolatava released after serving over 4 years in prison

Paris, December 15, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Belarusian journalist Maryna Zolatava, who was among 123 prisoners freed on Saturday as part of a deal in which the United States announced it was lifting sanctions on Belarus’s potash exports. All were pardoned by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.  “We are relieved that journalist Maryna Zolatava is finally free, but she shouldn’t have spent a second …

Belarus’ Catholic Nobel laureate says his freedom is ‘truly a miracle from God’

A Catholic Nobel Peace Prize winner who was unexpectedly freed from jail in Belarus has paid tribute to supporters who helped secure his release, while warning that over a thousand political prisoners still languish in his country's penal colonies.