Belarus released 25 people whom human rights activists consider to be political prisoners, following a new round of talks with Washington. In response, the US agreed to lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies — «Lakokraska» and «Bellesbumprom». The agreement was announced on 16 September by John Cole, Special Envoy of US President Donald Trump, following talks in Minsk.
- Belarus has released 25 political prisoners.
- The US is set to lift sanctions on two companies.
- These are «Lakokraska» and «Bellesbumprom».
- Talks between Minsk and Washington will continue.
What the US and Belarus have agreed on
John Cole described the agreement reached intermediate and stated that the negotiation process would continue. According to him, if the parties resolve other issues, further the release of prisoners and a further easing of US sanctions against Belarusian companies.
The US should lift restrictions on a manufacturer of paint and varnish products «Paint and Varnish» and the State Concern for the Woodworking and Pulp and Paper Industries «Bellesbumprom».
The negotiations were preceded by meeting Cole from Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk. Over the past year, Washington has been using negotiations on sanctions as one of the tools to secure the release of prisoners in Belarus.
Journalists are among those who have been released
According to Reuters and the Associated Press, a journalist is among the 25 who have been dismissed Andriy Aleksandrov, his wife Irina Zlobina, Lyudmila Chekina, the former head of the independent media outlet TUT.BY, and other detainees. Some of those released have already arrived in Lithuania.
Lukashenko himself denies that there are political prisoners in Belarus and claims that the prosecutions are linked to breaches of the law. Human rights organisations and international bodies disagree with this. Recently, UN experts stated that the Belarusian criminal justice system is systematically used to suppress critics of the authorities; Minsk does not acknowledge these allegations.
Hundreds of people remain behind bars
Despite the latest releases, the number of people whom Belarusian human rights activists classify as political prisoners remains significant.
As at the time of the audit, the Human Rights Centre’s database «Viasna» held 912 people on the list of political prisoners and those convicted in politically motivated criminal cases. The list may be updated following today’s release of 25 people. On 15 September, the human rights community in Belarus added to the list a further 11 new names.
According to Cole, talks between Washington and Minsk will continue. The US representative expects that further agreements may involve both further releases and the lifting of additional sanctions.
