Historic Release: 52 Political Prisoners Freed in Belarus After U.S. Negotiations

Belarus has freed a number of political prisoners, including several Western nationals, as a result of negotiations between U.S. and Belarusian officials in Minsk, announced Lithuania’s President on Thursday.

«Not a single person was left behind! Today, 52 individuals successfully crossed the Lithuanian border from Belarus, escaping the barbed wire, barred windows, and relentless fear,» Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda shared on social media, highlighting that six Lithuanians were among those released.

«I am immensely thankful to the United States and particularly to President Donald Trump for their unwavering dedication to securing the release of political prisoners,» Nausėda added, including a photo of Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys with one of the released prisoners.

According to Belarusian state media, citizens from Poland, Latvia, France, Germany, and the UK were also among those freed.

The release of prisoners on Thursday came after discussions between U.S. and Belarusian officials in Minsk, which included Trump’s deputy assistant John Coale and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Trump has consistently urged Lukashenko to liberate political prisoners. On Friday, he stated that Belarus was holding around 1,400 «hostages,» characterizing the Eastern European nation as a «rather harsh place.»

During the Minsk meetings, Lukashenko proposed what he termed a «big deal» concerning the remaining detainees, according to the state news agency Belta.

«If Donald is serious about wanting to take all these freed individuals himself, we could explore… a ‘big deal,’ as Mr. Trump likes to refer to it,» the Belarusian leader remarked during the talks with Coale.

«We’re being transparent here. Let’s engage in discussion, even though this may not be my primary concern, nor yours, considering the world has plenty of other issues,» Lukashenko remarked.

Human rights organizations estimate that nearly 1,200 political prisoners are still incarcerated in Belarus.

Coale informed Lukashenko that the United States had lifted sanctions on Belavia, the country’s main airline, and also presented him with a pair of cufflinks from Trump, along with a letter personally signed by the American president.

«He signed it ‘Donald.’ That constitutes a rare gesture of personal friendship,» Coale conveyed to Lukashenko after delivering the letter, in which Trump congratulated the Belarusian leader on his 71st birthday last month.

Lukashenko expressed that his primary objective is to «stand alongside Trump and support his mission for peace,» referring to the stalled U.S. efforts to facilitate an end to the conflict in neighboring Ukraine. «His main priority right now is to end the war in Ukraine, which is also of utmost importance to us.»