Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said on Wednesday, July 3, that political prisoners had been released by Belarus, a Russian ally that is ruthlessly repressed. Since the wave of protests in the summer of 2020, thousands of people have been arrested and opponents, activists and journalists sentenced to harsh sentences in this authoritarian country located on the edge of the EU. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have gone into exile.
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” Today we witnessed the first cases of release of political prisoners in Belarus “. This was indicated by the figurehead of the opposition in exileSvetlana Tikhanovskaya on X, without specifying their name or number. According to the human rights NGO Viasna, the country has more than 1,400 people imprisoned for their opposition to the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko, who this month celebrates 30 years in power at the head of Belarus.
The opponent added that more than 200 of these political prisoners ” are in critical health condition ” And ” their life is in great danger ” in prison. According to her, ” At least six of them have already died behind bars ” Among them, two other political rivals ofAlexander Lukashenko : Maria Kolesnikova, hospitalized in November 2022 for a “ perforated ulcer “, and Ales Bialiatski, according to their respective supporters. The latter is a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and is deprived of medication in detention.
The own husband of Svetlana TikhanovskayaSergei Tikhanovski, is serving a sentence of more than 18 years in prison for his harsh criticism of President Lukashenko. The opposition leader said last March that she had not heard from him for more than a year.
Releases announced by President Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko had indicated on Tuesday, July 2, that some opponents could be released shortly. We must act humanely, do not be surprised if in a few days seriously ill people are released »he said, according to local and Russian media, without giving details.
According to state television ATN, the Belarusian leader signed an amnesty law covering some 8,000 detainees on the occasion of the Independence Day of this former Soviet republic on July 3, which also marks the liberation of Belarus from Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
Consulates Abroad No Longer Issue Passports, to Force Exiles to Return
The repression accelerated in the country after the presidential election of August 2020, which gave rise to protest demonstrations of unprecedented scale, crushed by violence and a wave of arrests. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the countryespecially to Poland, with which relations are at an all-time low amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian consulates abroad have recently stopped issuing passports in an effort to force them to return.
Many exiles have also been tried in absentia. Last Monday, several academics, journalists and human rights defenders have been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison each in their absence in Belarus. According to Anais Marin, UN rapporteur on human rights in Belarus, the country is facing a ” new tightening of the screws against any real or perceived opposition “.
Read alsoBelarus: Repression Hardens, Protests Silenced More and More
In a speech on Wednesday, July 3, she said she had “rreceived numerous reports of cruelty and ill-treatment in detention »particularly among political prisoners, including ” refusal of medical care “. “ The repression in Belarus has reached such a scale and intensity that the country should not be considered safe for anyone who has ever expressed disagreement with the government or its policies. »she warned.
Alexander Lukashenko, 69, announced in February that he would run for another term next year.