TALLINN, Estonia — The authoritarian leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has pardoned 20 individuals identified by human rights activists as political prisoners, as reported on the president’s website on Saturday.
This announcement occurs against a backdrop of ongoing repression, especially with the upcoming presidential elections next month, which are anticipated to enable Lukashenko to sustain his long-standing hold on power.
While the Belarusian government did not disclose the identities of those pardoned, the official statement indicated that all had been convicted of offenses categorized as “extremist in nature.”
The group includes 11 women, and it was noted that 14 of those pardoned are dealing with chronic health issues.
According to the presidential administration, the individuals released expressed remorse for their actions and formally appealed to the state leader for clemency, a phrasing commonly utilized during recent mass pardons over the last several months.
This marks the eighth pardon orchestrated by Lukashenko since the mid-summer of 2024, bringing the total number of political prisoners released to 207, according to Viasna, the oldest human rights organization in Belarus.
The majority of these prisoners were incarcerated following widespread anti-government protests in 2020, which erupted after Lukashenko secured a sixth term in a widely disputed election characterized as fraudulent.
Viasna reports that roughly 1,250 political prisoners still remain detained, with no significant opposition figures among those released.
Notable among those still imprisoned are Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, the founder of Viasna; Siarhei Tsikhanouski, who had intended to run against Lukashenko but was arrested prior to the elections; and Viktar Babaryka, who was also jailed after amassing support before the voting.
The recent pardons seem to coincide with a renewed wave of repression, according to Viasna activist Pavel Sapelka, as the regime prepares for new presidential elections scheduled for January 2025, which are likely to secure Lukashenko a seventh term.
“Lukashenko sends mixed messages to the West by pardoning a few while simultaneously incarcerating many more political prisoners,” Sapelka remarked. “The crackdown is escalating, and authorities are keen to suppress any form of dissent leading up to the January elections.”
Belarusian officials are known for subjecting political prisoners to harsh treatment, restricting their access to lawyers and family members, and withholding necessary medical assistance. According to Viasna, at least seven political prisoners have died while incarcerated since 2020.
Lukashenko, who has exerted iron-fisted control over Belarus for over three decades, remains a crucial ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, supporting Russia by allowing its military to operate from Belarusian territory during the Ukraine conflict that began in February 2022, and permitting the deployment of some tactical nuclear weapons within Belarus.
