Belarus frees 52 political prisoners as US lifts sanctions on its national airline

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Belarus freed 52 political prisoners on Thursday, as the United States announced it was lifting sanctions on the isolated country’s national airline.

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has been repeatedly slapped with Western sanctions both for its crackdown on human rights and allowing Moscow to use its territory in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its president, Alexander Lukashenko, has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and hundreds of people, including dissidents, opposition figures and journalists, are behind bars.

But for more than a year, Lukashenko has sought to mend ties with the West in the hopes of easing the sanctions and the country’s international isolation. He has regularly released prisoners as a way to win favor.

In June, Belarus freed Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a key dissident figure and the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and 13 others following a visit by a senior envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Shortly before Thursday’s release became public, Belarusian state media posted a video of U.S. envoy John Coale announcing that Washington had lifted sanctions on Belarus national air carrier, Belavia. The airline was sanctioned by the European Union, the U.S., and others after Belarusian flight controllers ordered a commercial jet traveling from Greece to Lithuania to land in Minsk. Once the plane landed, authorities arrested Raman Pratasevich, a dissident journalist who was on board.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The concession from the U.S. comes a day after Poland denounced an incursion of Russian drones into its territory — some from Belarus — in what Western officials called an act of aggression. NATO jets were scrambled and shot some of the drones down. Russian and Belarusian troops have been gathering for war games scheduled to start Friday.

Trump, whose country is the major military power in NATO, offered an ambiguous initial response to the incursions, posting, “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” on his Truth Social platform.

Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus’ opposition leader in exile, warned that lifting sanctions could create new leverage for both Minsk and Moscow, whose aviation industry has been heavily sanctioned.

“We understand that this is part of the deal,” she told The Associated Press. “But lifting sanctions without systemic changes in the country could open loopholes that both the Lukashenko regime and Russia will use to circumvent the sanctions.”

One prisoner released refuses to go to Lithuania

One of the prisoners released Thursday, veteran opposition activist Mikalai Statkevich, refused to cross into Lithuania, a person who spoke to the dissident and another person who spoke to his wife told AP. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

They said that the 69-year-old was standing in the no-man’s land between Lithuania and Belarus. He repeatedly tried to return to Belarus, but border guards blocked his path. Earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the prisoners had safely crossed into his country.

Statkevich, one of Lukashenko’s most prominent and charismatic opponents, attempted to run for president in 2010, but was arrested, convicted on charges of organizing mass riots and sentenced to sentenced to six years. Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience, and in 2015 he was released under pressure from the United States.

Statkevich was arrested again before the 2020 elections, found guilty once more of organizing mass riots, and sentenced to another 14 years. He has been held incommunicado since February 2023.

Also among those released was Ihar Losik, a journalist for U.S. government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to human rights group Viasna. The 33-year-old was convicted of “organizing mass riots, taking part in mass disorder, inciting social hatred,” and several other charges that remain unclear, according to the broadcaster. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December 2021.

The prisoners also included 14 foreigners — six Lithuanians, two Latvians, two Poles, two Germans, one French national and one U.K. national — according to the Belarusian presidency’s press service.

“I am deeply grateful to the United States and personally to President @realDonaldTrump for their continued efforts to free political prisoners. 52 is a lot. A great many. Yet more than 1,000 political prisoners still remain in Belarusian prisons and we cannot stop until they see freedom!” Nauseda wrote on X. He said the prisoners left “behind barbed wire, barred windows and constant fear

Almost 1,200 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, according to Viasna.

Lukashenko has long cracked down on dissent

Lukashenko has relentlessly cracked down on the opposition and independent media, especially after tens of thousands of people poured into the streets to protest his reelection in August 2020, in a vote widely seen as rigged. They were the largest protests in the country’s history.

In the ensuing crackdown, tens of thousands were detained, with many beaten by police. Prominent opposition figures either fled the country or were imprisoned.

Lukashenko has since extended his rule for a seventh term following a January 2025 election that the opposition also called a farce.

Trump and Lukashenko spoke last month about the release of more prisoners, as the Belarusian leader sought to mend ties with the West.

Coale, Trump’s deputy Ukraine envoy, met Thursday with Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital, where he announced the lifting of sanctions against Belavia.

Founded in 1996, Belavia is Belarus’ only national air carrier. In addition to imposing sanctions after the plane diversion to arrest Pratasevich, outraged EU leaders barred Belavia from EU airspace and airports and directed European carriers to avoid Belarus’ airspace.

As a result, Belavia slashed its fleet from 29 to 14 aircraft.

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Karmanau reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writers Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed.