Belarus Frees 14 Political Prisoners

Belarusian authorities have released 14 political prisoners, including opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski and three Polish citizens, whose freedom had been requested by Poland. The handover took place at the U.S. embassy in Vilnius, with a representative from the Polish Foreign Ministry present, CE Report quotes PAP

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed gratitude to the U.S. for its role, particularly to envoy Keith Kellogg, and reaffirmed Poland’s commitment to securing the release of other detainees, including journalist Andrzej Poczobut.

Poczobut, sentenced in 2021 to eight years in prison, is internationally recognized as a political prisoner. He had worked with Gazeta Wyborcza and was active in the now-banned Union of Poles in Belarus.

The release also included citizens from Latvia, Japan, Estonia, and Sweden.