Belarus frees 123 prisoners, including Nobel Peace laureate Bialiatski

Vilnius (Lithuania), Dec. 13 (LaPresse/AP) – Belarusian authorities have released 123 prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova, in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions against the country by the United States. The news was reported by the state news agency Belta and confirmed to AP by Pavel Sapelka, a human rights activist from the Viasna association. “Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 123 foreign citizens as part of agreements reached with U.S. President Donald Trump and at his request,” Lukashenko’s press office told Belta. “In connection with the lifting of illegal sanctions against Belarus’s potash industry imposed by the administration of former U.S. President Biden, and with the practical implementation of the process of lifting other illegal sanctions against the Republic of Belarus, the head of state decided to pardon 123 citizens of various countries convicted under the laws of the Republic of Belarus for various crimes, including espionage, terrorism, and extremist activities,” the statement added.